Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698929863517.pdf (Sierra Leone)
OAU DRIVE, TOWER HILL, FREETOWN P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S ____ [HANSARD] ______________ OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT FIRST SESSION - SECOND MEETING TUESDAY, 4TH DECEMBER, 2018 SESSION – 2018/2019 OAU DRIVE, TOWER HILL, FREETOWN P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S ____ [HANSARD] ______________ OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT VOLUME: II NUMBER: 39 Second Meeting of the First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone.
Proceedings of the Sitting of the House Held Tuesday 4thDecember, 2018.

2 CONTENTS I. PRAYERS II.

RECORD OF VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY SITTING HELD ON TUESDAY, 19TH NOVEMBER, 2018.

III.
III.

PAPERS LAID THE MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY [i] CONVENTION 97- MIGRATION FOR EMPLOYMENT CONVENTION [REVISED]1949; [ii] CONVENTION 143-MIGRANT WORKERS [SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS] 1975; [iii] COVENTION 155-OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH, 1981; [iv] CONVENTION 187-PROMOTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RECOMMENDEDATION, 2006; AND [v] MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION, 2006.

IV MOTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE PROPOSER: HON.
SIDIE M. TUNIS SECONDER: HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY BE IT RESOLVED: THAT THE TWENTIETH REPORT OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLICE SERVICE BE ADOPATED BY THE HOUSE AND THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED THEREIN BE APPROVED.

V: BILL COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY THE APPORPRIATION ACT, 2019 3 BEING AN ACT TO AUTHORISE EXPENDITURE FROM THE CONSOLIDATED FUND FOR THE SERVICES OF SIERRA LEONE FOR THE YEAR 2019 AND FOR OTHER RELATED MATTERS.
[FIRST ALLOTED DAY] 4 THE CHAMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE Official Hansard Report of the Proceedings of the House _____________________________________________________________ FIFTH SESSION – FIRST MEETING OF THE FOURTH PARLIAMENT OF THE SECOND REPUBLIC _____________________________ TUESDAY, 4th December, 2018.

I. PRAYERS [The Table Clerk, Mrs Bintu Weston, Read the Prayers] [The House met at 10:30 a.m. in Parliament Building, Tower Hill, Freetown] [The Speaker, Hon.
Dr Chernoh Abass Bundu, in the Chair] The House was called to Order 5 Suspension of S.O 5[2] COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR CORRECTION OF II.

FOR PARLIAMENTARY SITTING HELD ON MONDAY, 19TH NOVEMBER, 2018.

PROCEEDINGS VOTES AND THE THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, as it is our usual practise, we shall go through the record of Votes and Proceedings for Monday, 19th November, 2018.

We shall skip Pages 1 through to 4.


[Undertone] as far as I can recall this was distributed a long time ago, you may have forgotten to bring it along with you.

Let me see the hands of those who claim they do not have copies of the record.

You are in a tiny minority, you should keep your records when they are distributed.

So, I am sorry we are going to proceed.

The majority of you have the records so try and do better next time.

So let us go through the record please.


We are skipping Pages 1 through to 4.

Any comments or observations?

Page 5?

Page 6?

Page 7?

Page 8?

Page 9?

HON.

EMILIA L. TONGI: Yes Mr Speaker, THE SPEAKER: You are taking us back to what Page?

HON.

EMILIA L. TONGI: Page 7.

THE SPEAKER: Yes.

HON.

EMILIA L. TONGI: Arrangement of the Minister of Health and Sanitation Sir.

‘Arrangement’ is badly spelt.

THE SPEAKER: I am sorry madam, it is correctly spelt.
It is not arrangement, it is arraignment It is one of those peculiar words in the English Language.

Any other observation?

Page 8?

Page 9?

Page 10?

Page 11?

No observations, no comments, no corrections?

Can somebody please move?

[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed To] [Record of Votes and Proceedings for parliamentary Sitting held on Monday, 19th November, 2018 has been adopted as amended] 6 III.
PAPERS LAID MR LANSANA DUMBUYA [DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I beg to lay on the Table of this Honourable House the following International Labour Organisation [ILO] Conventions: i. ii.

iii.

iv.
iii.

iv.

Convention 97-Migration for Employment Convention [Revised] 1949; Convention 143-Migrant Workers [Supplementary Provisions] 1975; Convention 155-Occupational Safety and Health 1981; Convention 187-Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Recommendations 2006; and v. Maritime Labour Convention 2006.

IV.

MOTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE PROPOSER: HON.

SIDIE M. TUNIS SECONDER: HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA HON.


SIDIE M. TUNIS [LEADER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, be it resolved that the Twentieth Report of the first Session of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service be adopted by the House and that the recommendations contained therein be approved.

1.
Introduction Mr, Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service that is charged with the responsibility of scrutinizing and vetting presidential nominees and selecting the most fitted and qualified persons to serve in public offices met on Tuesday, 27th November, 2018 and interviewed eleven presidential nominees for the following appointments: [i] Chairman, Board of Directors, Rokel Commercial Bank Limited [RCB]; [ii] Two Commissioners, Right to Access Information Commission; [iii] Four Members, National Telecommunications Commission [NATCOM]; 7 [iv] Two Members, National Medical Supplies Agency [NMSA]; [v] Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank [SLCB]; and [vi] Member, Board of Directors national Mineral Agency.
2.

Procedure The Committee relied on specified documents provided by the nominees and other information obtained from the general public to conduct the hearings.

Pertinent questions put to the nominees were related on their educational backgrounds, track records in pertinent work situations, declared assets, tax obligations and the nominees visions for a successful and nationally productive tenure.

Issues of unsuitability or otherwise were closely looked into.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, twenty-third sitting of the Committee on Tuesday, 27th November, 2018, the following nominees were interviewed on oath: [i] Mr Buffy Bailor-Proposed Chairman; Board of Directors, Rokel Commercial Bank [RCB] LTD. Mr Buffy Bailor is a Financial Management and Accounting Specialist with more than twenty-two [22] years of work experience in designing and improving financial management systems for public, private Sector Clients as well as donor funded Projects.
He has served in senior financial management positions in the United Kingdom and in Sierra Leone which has given him extensive experience in Financial Management, Budget-related activities, Audit checks and transaction issues.

Mr Bailor is currently serving as the Managing Partner of B&C Services Consulting, a firm of Chartered Accountants, Business and Management Consultants.
Responding to the Committee’s inquiries, Mr Bailor said, “As Chairman, I am expected to manage and provide leadership for the Board of Directors and to also interface with Management.
The first thing I will do in a situation like that is to understand what the current situation is and then see what the management’s vision is, and then provide the leadership in terms of the direction that should be followed in collaboration with other Board Members.’’ 8 [ii] Miss Yeama Sarah Thompson-Proposed Commissioner; Right to Access Information Commission [RAIC] Miss Yeama Sarah Thompson is a Media Practitioner with a wealth of knowledge and skills in Strategic Management, Planning and Project Management.
She is currently serving as the Executive Director, Initiative for Media Development [IMDEV] Sierra Leone.

Answering to probing questions, Miss Yeama Thompson thanked His Excellency the President for the presidential confidence reposed in her.

She said, “With my strong academic background and wealth of experience, I believe I can adequately deliver in my duties.
I will ensure that I serve the interest of the nation above all personal or group interest.” [iii] Mr Biah Yormah Idriss- Proposed Commissioner; Right to Access Information Commission [RAIC] Mr Biah Yormah Idriss is an Educationalist and Media Practitioner of no mean standing.

He is currently serving as the News Editor, Radio New Son, Bo.

In his interview, Mr Biah Yormah thanked His Excellency the President for giving him the opportunity to serve his country.
He said, “I am a very diligent, efficient, and effective in any work I am assigned to.

With my qualifications and experience, I believe without doubt that I am capable for the job.

I will ensure that I adhere to the laid down rules and regulations to ensure effectiveness in the Institution.

Most importantly, I will work selflessly in the interests of the nation for a better Sierra Leone.” [iv] Hon.
Jususfu Barry Mansaray-Proposed Member; National Telecommunications Commission [NATCOM] Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray is a politician who served as the Deputy Minority Whip of the Sierra Leone People’s Party in the Sierra Leone Parliament from 2012 to 2017.

Answering to the Committee’s inquiries, Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray said that when we talk about National Telecommunications Commission, we are talking about the gateway to this nation.
He said that “It is an Institution that has the potential to open Sierra Leone to the international world.

Therefore, I will 9 ensure that we discourage any kind of fraud in that Institution.

I am sure that we are going to straighten issues up there.

I know some element of fraud has been going on, but we are going to put stop to it.
Legislations would come very shortly before this Honourable House and as long as you, Honourable Members give us your support, we will handle it.” [v] Mr Joseph Abass Sannoh-Proposed Member; National Telecommunications Commission [NATCOM] Mr Joseph Abass Sannoh is a Human Rights and Civil Society Activist with knowledge in Project Management and Media and Community Outreach.

Mr Sannoh is currently serving as the Executive Director at HEAL Sierra Leone.
Responding to the Committee’s inquiries, Mr Sannoh started off by thanking His Excellency the President for giving him the golden opportunity to serve his country.

He said that “I think Telecommunication regulations are very important for the development of a nation.

The first thing I will be advocating for is to ensure that we have internet facilities in schools.

Secondly, we must work to develop a software to help our kids learn fast and to provide other ICT solutions.
I am currently working with the N’jala University of Technology to develop software.” [vi] Mr Paul Square [Esq]-Proposed Member; National Telecommunications Commission [NATCOM] Mr Paul Square is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone with specialized training in Arbitration and Principles of Mediation.
Answering to the Committee question on the protection of consumers’ interest on the Board, Mr Paul Square opined that “As a Commissioner, the very first thing needed is to work for the interest of the nation and the best I can do is to adhere to the provisions of the law.

The law is the law.

I have been a private practitioner for the past seven years.

The cardinal principle of my practice has been vested in searching for justice for everyone and not for a particular sector.
I want to make it clear to you that I have rendered services on ‘pro-bono’ basis and I will ensure that consumer interest is protected.” 10 [vii] Mr Robert Kodema Kargbo-Proposed Member; National Telecommunications Commission [NATCOM] Mr Robert Kargbo is a renowned Civil Society Activist with a wealth of knowledge and skills in Advocacy, Lobbying and Negotiation.

He is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Protection Services International.
Answering to the Committee’s inquiries, Mr Kargbo opined that “Coming from a Civil Society background, over the years my role as a civil society Activist has been very key.

I have contributed immensely especially on issue of good governance, issues of health, and issues within the telecommunications sector.
I believe my role as a Board member is to contribute immensely to ensure that we create a level playing ground within the telecommunications industry especially creating fair competitions between the mobile sector and especially issues of the humanitarian aspect such as seeking welfare of the consumers.
My key concern is to ensure that I protect the rights of the consumers.” [viii] Mr Alpha Tejan Kella-Proposed Pharmaceutical Specialist; National Medical Supplies Agency Mr Alpha Tejan Kella is Pharmaceutical and Laboratory expert with international accreditation in quality control.

He is currently serving as Head of Department, National Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratory and Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone.
Responding to the Committee’s inquiry, Mr Alpha Kella said ”As a regulator, I have worked in the regulatory services of the Pharmacy Board for many years and I am very much au-fait with the regulatory processes.

I have supervised undergraduate students’ dissertations relating to cost of products.

I think what we need to do is to introduce a system of duty-waiver on pharmaceuticals and drugs.

Initially, there was a duty-waiver on essential drugs.
I think that is what I would advocate for on the board.’’ 11 [ix] Mr Alhassan Kamara-Proposed Civil Society Representative; National Medical Supplies Agency Mr Alhassan Kamara is a Civil Society Activist with skills and competencies in Financial Management, Managing People and Advocacy.
He is currently serving as the Program Manager ‘Health for All Coalition.’ Reacting to Members’ inquiry, Mr Alhassan Kamara said, “I am a long standing Civil Society Activist who has been working on promoting the rights of women and children.
Being a member of the board will definitely put me in a position to influence strategic decisions that will improve the lives of women and children in Sierra Leone.” Answering to further question, he said that “In terms of promoting the free health care, basically, there are three strategic interventions that I will definitely try to improve.

One is ensuring that effective and robust monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure service delivery.
Secondly, we will also use the evidence we gather from the field as an advocacy tool to influence decision making and lastly, we will try to create some community engagements.

Basically, even though I have been nominated as a Board member, but I will still stand with the civil society.” [x] Mr Robert Sheku Abdulai-Proposed Member; Board of Directors Sierra Leone Commercial Bank [SLCB] Mr Robert Sheku Abdulai is Public Sector Management expert and a renowned Banker.
From June to December, 2008, he served as the Finance Officer, Political Parties Registration Commission.

Answering to probing questions, Mr Sheku Abdulai said, “It is crystal clear that Sierra Leone economy is in a pretty bad shape.

In order to save this nation from drowning, the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and other Banks in this country have a responsibility in developing and managing the economy.
If I am approved by this Honourable House, my responsibility will be to provide good policies that will promote the interests of the Bank and its consumers.

I want to assure this Committee that I am capable because I have a wealth of experience and strong educational background.
I will ensure with the cooperation of other Board Members that we will come up 12 with policies that will help the Bank achieve those objectives for which it was established.” [xi] Mr Sahr Fao Matturi-Proposed Member; Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency [NMA] Mr Sahr Fao Matturi is a Public Sector Management specialist and a retired Civil Servant who joined the Civil Service in 1980 and rose through the ranks.

He retired in 1997 as Deputy Secretary.


Answering to questions, Mr Sahr Matturi said, ”Honourable Members, I served in the Ministry of Mines the longest in all my Civil Service career.

If I obtained the blessings of approval by this Honourable House, I will work towards ensuring that Sierra Leone benefits from its natural endowments particularly our diamonds.

Our economy had depended on diamonds for far too long with not much to show for it.
Now is the time to ensure that foreign mining companies are made to pay the legal royalties and taxes due for their mining operations.’’ 4.
Recommendation[s] Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee adjudged the following Presidential nominees to be fit and qualified for their proposed appointments and they are recommended to the House for approval: [i] Mr Buffy Bailor-Chairman Board of Directors, Rokel Commercial Bank Limited [RCB]; [ii] Ms Yeama Sarah Thompson- Commissioner, Right to Access Information Commission [RAIC]; [iii] Mr Biah Yormah Idriss-Commissioner, Right to Access Information Commission [RAIC]; [iv] Hon.
Jusufu Barry Mansaray-Member, National Telecommunication Commission [NATCOM]; [v] Mr Joseph Abass Sannoh-Member, National Telecommunication Commission [NATCOM]; [vi] Mr Paul Square-Proposed Member, National Telecommunication Commission [NATCOM]; 13 [vii] Mr Robert Kondema Kargbo-Member, National Telecommunications Commission [NATCOM]; [viii] Mr Alpha Tejan Kella-Pharmaceutical, Specialist, National Medical Supplies Agency [NMSA]; [ix] Mr Alhassan Kamara-Civil Society, Representative, National Medical Supplies Agency [NMSA]; [x] Mr Robert Sheku Abdulai- Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank [SLCB]; and [xi] Mr Sahr Foa Matturi-Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency [NMA].
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Twentieth Report reflects the unanimous view of the Committee.

I therefore move that the Twentieth Report of the First Session of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service be adopted by the House and that the recommendations contained therein be approved.

Hon.

Sidie Mohamed Tunis Chairman Date:………………………… THE SPEAKER: Thank you Honourable Leader of Government Business.

Any seconder?

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: I so second Mr Speaker.


[Question Proposed] THE SPEAKER: Before I call on the first speaker on this item, I would like the House to recognize the presence in our midst of certain distinguished visitors; some local, some foreign.

I start with the local ones first [Undertone] charity begins at home [Applause].

Mr Francis Gabidon is amongst us in the Well of the House [Applause].

Mr Ike James is also with us, I hope he is here [Applause].
I have just been reminded that the Honourable Andrew Longay is also in our midst [Applause].

Now, to our overseas visitors, we have very distinguished visitors from the United States of America [USA].

I would like us to recognize the presence of Caroline Gannon, Board Member of the African Library project and a donor [Applause].

Mr Terry Gannon is a renowned 14 Scientist, Board Member the Africa Library Project and also a donor [Applause].
Anatine Godin, Project Officer, School for Sierra Leone, you are most welcome and we are happy to have you in our midst.

Please continue to be of service to our beloved country Sierra Leone.

Thank you [Applause].

The debates will now commence.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, today is another day as the true representatives of the people are discharged with the constitutional responsibilities and that is to approve or disapprove presidential nominees for various positions.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we believe that our President knows his best players of which he is convince that with those players around him, he will be able to achieve his desired objectives.

As I observed, I see that out of eleven players before us only one female is capable and qualified to be one of them.

I believe there should have been more female [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: On this occasion?

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: On this occasion [Laughter].


On today’s occasion, the 4th December, 2018, only one female out of eleven, but if that is his conviction for today, we are with him.

Our duty is not just to comment on gender or no gender, but more so to comment on capabilities of the individuals and the challenges they would be facing in their respective Institutions.

On that note, I want to congratulate the only female for representing the female world [Applause].
In any case a female must be represented, no matter what; they must be there [Applause].

I thank God for His Excellency’s dream in ensuring that no such occasion as today that there will be zero female representation.

So, women of Sierra Leone please do not worry, you are remembered and you represented here.
I wish you well, though I was not present during your interviews because I am not a substantive Member of the Committee on Appointments, but by extension every Member of Parliament is a Member of every Committee [Applause].

So on that note, I congratulate you for representing the female world.

Madam, please prove to every Government that you can do it even better than men [Applause].
15 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about the proposed Chairman, Board of Directors of the Rokel Commercial Bank [RCB].

The last time during our Budget debates my time was limited so as a result I was forced to skip that area and that is State Owned Enterprises.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, out of the fifteen State Owned Enterprises and according to the report of the Budget estimate read by the Minister of Finance who is in our midst today, it is only five State Owned Enterprises that are profit making.

So, it forces me to ask a question, is Government a good business entity?

Is Government good in doing business?


What disturb me the most, but I did not have the opportunity by then, but now that there is a proposed Chairman here of RCB, RCB is one of the State Owned Enterprises and you know the comments Speaker?

The Minister said, ‘‘RCB has potential to make profit’’ I said wow!

Digital RCB, RCB of all people, and the Bank of Banks still at this stage the comment of the Finance Minister is ‘potential to make profit’ [Laughter].
When I compared RCB and Union Trust Bank [UTB], I can best describe RCB as Digital Bank and on the contrary, I can best describe the UTB as Manual Bank because everything is paper work, they can keep on turning the pages before sorting out themselves whilst for RCB, it is digital, but UTB can make huge profit.

They are reporting every year of making Billions of Leones as profits after tax.

If manual UTB can make profits then what is wrong with digital RCB which happens to be the Bank of Banks [Applause]?
Meaning the potential is struggling to survive, but somebody is killing that potential.

Mr Buffy Bailor, proposed Chairman, Board of Directors, RCB, I believe the reason why His Excellency the President appointed you this day is to make sure this Bank survives.

His Excellency the President has seen that potential through the Minister of Finance that RCB has potential to survive, has potential to make profit for Government, but this potential is been killed by the system.
Can you give life to that potential?
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, with your permission and through the permission of the Finance Chairman, can I say before the end of this Session in March, 2019, I encourage the Chairman of Finance to summon the Management of RCB to see how best they have done with your Leadership as Chairman, to make sure that potential 16 grows and flourish because now it is a new regime and I believe the slogan for the new regime is the ‘New Direction.’ Can the New Direction please report through the Finance Committee for us to see how best this potential is doing?
According to the Minister of Finance, he boldly spelt it out in the Budget estimate that Sierra Leone Commercial Bank [SLCB] is one of the most profits making Institutions.

Can you tell me that SLCB has better standing than RCB?

If SLCB is making profit then why not RCB?

I am not an expert in banking, but by my estimation there is no reason for me to say SLCB has better standing than RCB.
I can say they are of equal status in terms of digitalization, in terms of management, in terms of qualified staff and you are all Government owned.

So, please give life to that potential.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I move to the Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency.

I have said it before in the last Parliament that our Minerals; Bauxite, Rutile and Iron Ore are from God to man since the beginning of Adam and Eve are taking out of this country raw [Laughter].
Sometimes people say we do not have power, we do not have light, but Mr proposed Member, if I was present during your interviews I would have known your name, but I know your office.

Can you please start small and allow growth in terms of processing or implementing secondary production?

Those Iron Ore can be process here by way of secondary production that will add value to the Iron Ore, it will create employment for the people of this country [Applause].
S.O 2 ‘‘oh ya, if u knw watin r knw’’ the Iron Ore at Bumbuna is a ‘one-pot’[Laughter], it has huge deposit of Gold, some pieces of Diamond all under the umbrella and the rubric of Iron Ore. Mr Officer of the Minerals Agency; please take not of that and let the Iron Ore be processed here.

I am over forty years old, I think Sierra Rutile is older than me, but up to date the Rutile is being exported raw; that is from God to man.
The last time we went to one Company by the name of Vinetco, they are mining bauxite.

What I saw on that day was nonstop delivery of bauxite in twenty-four hours a day.

They are so organized, the eighteen tyres or twenty-two tyres trucks will be waiting for each other to be filled and exit the other way, the machines will be loading and then the bumpers are there from the mining to the loading site.
We stayed there for over twenty-four 17 hours and in fact, the bauxite comes down like rice-mill and when the truck is full it goes and the next one will be waiting to be full and goes again.

The trucks will be coming from Moyamba to Pepel.

It is so well organised that the truck coming from Pepel will never be late to reach Moyamba to recollect and return after the other truck would have been filled, but yet we have not seen much and we are still poor.
As a constructive Opposition poised to help this Government, I have no option but to bring this to the notice of His Excellency the President that the National Minerals Agency needs to do more to make sure those Minerals are processed in this country and if I have my way, I will make sure that it is done before the end of this year, but for now my only way is to inform Government, for the sake of posterity this is what I have said and I am on record, please his Excellency the President give power to the National Minerals Agency for them to start processing Iron Ore, Bauxite and above all Rutile in this country [Applause].
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the National Telecommunications Commission [NATCOM].

We have four proposed members to serve as Commissioners and one of them was a former Honourable Member.

He was here during the last Parliament and was very effective that is no less a person, but the right Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray [Applause].

I was blessed to be part of the last Parliament because I learnt so much from him and he is a man of passion.
Sometimes when he wants to make his point and he wants to put across he almost shed tears [Laughter].

Sometimes we encourage him by saying to him please do not cry [Laughter].

You were an adviser at that time, you advised even with tears, but today you are now in the capacity for you to be advised.
My first advice to you sir through Mr Speaker, with your leave Sir, is to make sure that this time the current rate of our top-ups and our data bundles be at per with the Republic of Liberia, I am not going far [Applause].

In terms of customer base, we have more customers than Liberia; the records are there.
Even during the last Presidential debate, I made it very clear that since NATCOM was established in 2007 by our former President His Excellency the late Ahmad Tejan Kabba there was clear graduating process; it is clear and indisputable as Government is continuity.

I showed 18 facts and figures that there was a clear graduating process and that process can be seen even now.
I think Sierra Leone in terms of infrastructural development by way of office space, I am not sure though I am not an expert in that field to value, but I think the only office that might be more valuable and more modern than the current on- going office construction of NATCOM may be the City Council Office.

Apart from the City Council Office, you will agree with me that the next most prestigious and valuable office, state-of- the-art building is what you have just inherited.
The construction is on- going at the NATCOM new office.

Before this time, when you enter the office of the Chairman of NATCOM you will start to wonder that maybe the Chairman has just visited his Secretary [Laughter].
I was forced to ask him this question ‘‘Mr Chairman, are you just here to visit your Secretary, can we wait here a bit so that we go to your office for me to address you?’’ After some observation I came to understand that it is the actual office of the Chairman [Laughter], the space of the office is not even the space of this Table in the Chamber, but now there is a state-of-the-art building construction on-going.
Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray, you will inherit that building, you will live a better life and by so doing, to whom much is given much is expected.

You are now giving a better office space together with your three other colleagues and I believe it will not only stop at office space but will also involve other facilities around you which I will not name.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, HON.

DANIEL B. BKOROMA: Yes Sir.


THE SPEAKER: Did I hear you say they now enjoy a better office space in the present dispensation?

HON.

DANIEL B. BKOROMA: No Sir.

I repeatedly said, you will now inherit.

You are my witnesses.

THE SPEAKER: So, we are talking about the future.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Yes.

THE SPEAKER: Not the present?

19 HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Not as I speak now [Laughter].

THE SPEAKER: Okay [Applause].

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Not as I speak now because the construction is on-going.
THE SPEAKER: Well, you have made it clearer now.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: It is on-going and it is well advanced.

I believe and it is in my conviction that in the next one year we will all celebrate with the Chairman of NATCOM and team as he formally opens the doors of the new office to Parliament because we will be there for Oversight whether as a substantive Member of Committee on Communication or not, every Member by extension is a Member [Applause].
I have three Communications poles in my constituency and I am hoping to get two more so I have every reason to be there to ensure that the right thing is done, to make sure that the price is reasonable and to make sure that the price is at per with Liberia.

Before the end of this Session in March that is my expectation through the Committee on Information and Communication.

We are tired of over-burden and over-pricing of our data bundles and our top-up cards.
THE SPEAKER: That is a very important point you are making Honourable Member.

I wish you could go over it again for the benefit of the Public.

HON.
HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: For the benefit of the Public, NATCOM please listen to this [Laughter] Liberia is just part of the Mano River Union and the cost of service of the Telecommunication Sector in Liberia is by 500% lesser than that of Sierra Leone and besides, as Member of the Mano River Union there is nothing super special about Liberia which makes it to deserve better and cheaper service than us.

We deserve the same and even our market is bigger.


So, Chairman of NATCOM, through the office of Mr Speaker and as representatives of the people of Sierra Leone, I am asking you now that you bring the cost of service of the Telecommission Sector at the same rate as that of Liberia.

We want that before the end of this Session in March 2019 [Applause].

I cannot say that is my ruling, Mr Speaker will rule on that [Interruption].

20 THE SPEAKER: No!
20 THE SPEAKER: No!

Promise him that failing there will be a constant visit from the Parliamentary Oversight Committee.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Failing which, stringent action will be taking against you [Laughter] and you will have queries from this Parliament through the relevant Committee as to why further action cannot be taken against you by a way of recommendation to His Excellency the President for a rethink [Laughter].

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, without much I ado, let me move to the SLCB.
If I have my way I can say to the proposed Board Member of the SLCB to clap for himself in anticipation of his approval.

Whenever somebody does well, say so.

Honourable Members, all those that are members and customers of SLCB, do I have any reason to say they are not doing well [Applause]?

Customers of SLCB S.O 2 ‘ow una c am’?

If you are not a member or a customer of SLCB I am encouraging you to come over because members are enjoying [Laughter].
It is no longer as before when certain members were locked up in the lift because the lift was too angry that it went off and few Members of Parliament were stranded in there to the point of death, but now SLCB is a State Owned Enterprise.

They were strictly warned at that time, as we are warning RCB and NATCOM now and as a result it has improved.

Above all, the Minister of Finance says: ‘‘you are profit making’’ it means you are of substance to this country.

You are doing your best.


So, as I speak to you, as you go to SLCB provided if you are approved, I encourage you to take the queue otherwise this Parliament has the power to ask His Excellency the President for a rethink, but if you take the queue and continue to serve diligently for the people of this country, I think it will be good for us all.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, finally, this one I can say it is my baby because I was a Deputy Chairman Legislative Committee when this Act was passed for the first time since Adam and Eve [Undertone] if there had been one tell me, that is the Right to Access Information Act, but by then systems were not properly put in place because it was new, but thanks to God Government being continuity we are about to approve Commissioners of Right to Access Information Commission.
This one is very sensitive so you must study the Act.

Mind you there are certain areas you cannot give it up; areas 21 dealing with security because they are classified information if you do you will be sacked instantly.

With just a phone call by Mr Speaker to His Excellency the President you will be sacked and it is not even for a rethink.
But for the others, please I encourage you if you are approved please do not be selective irrespective of the religious, political and tribal background as long as they are Sierra Leoneans when they asked for information it must be supplied as long as the person goes through the proper procedure.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I was disturbed a little bit because of your concerns raised earlier that when I saw Mr Kamara I asked myself, did the Leader of Government Business advice you accordingly?
I felt sorry for Mr Speaker because he has made a proclamation here regarding dress code for Members of Parliament and even asking Parliamentarians out of the Well of the House.

THE SPEAKER: Is there a culprit today?

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: You can observe Sir.

Not within Parliament, but I plead on his behalf [Laughter].

Please Mr Leader of Government Business next time advice your nominees please.

THE SPEAKER: Tell me; just describe what you have seen.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: No!


I hold on to that [Laughter] I reserve my opinion Sir.

So with that in mind Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I believe we have charged them enough and we believe in His Excellency’s dream that these are the set of people he believes including the female.

So, I encourage all of us to look at them critically and let us support His Excellency the President, see what they can deliver and then we can comment on that later, but let us support him to approve these nominees before us.
Thank you very much [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his very constructive contribution to the debate.

I want to avoid those who are current Members of the Appointments Committee, you have had a bite of the sharing at that level.

Let me recognise those 22 who are not Members of that Committee.

Honourable Francis Amara Kaisamba, you have the Floor.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have another batch of presidential nominees before us who will be going to various Institutions.

Institutions are very important in governance.

Without institutions, it will be difficult to deliver the required services for the people and that was why the former President of America, President Barack Obama once said ‘‘Africa should believe in strong Institutions.’’ Most of these Institutions have been created by an Act of Parliament with Boards and Administrators.
We expect the proposed nominees when approved to go to these important Institutions to do what is good for the people of Sierra Leone.

There are policies put in place, the members of those various Boards have powers to create the direction and the vision of how those Institutions should be managed.

It is their responsibility and they must ensure that they perform their roles because over and above all they have another big Oversight Institution which is Parliament.
There are Standing Committees that has powers to look at what you are doing and if they found out that you are not performing your jobs properly, they will always have problems with you.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma mentioned State Owned Institutions for example the Banks.

SLCB is 100% Sierra Leone owned, the Government has a very huge shared at the RCB and these Institutions are directly under the purview of the Finance Committee.
I will take your request into consideration and we will begin to look at what the Banks are doing because there is no way private Banks are doing well while our State Owned Banks are not doing well and that will not be separated from politics.

Most of those Banks have been politicised somehow.

You give loans to individuals with no collateral, how do they pay?
To the extent that politicians particularly Parliamentarians have been giving names which is ‘Politically exposed persons.’ So, there is a fear for example loans are given to politicians, they will not repaid and they will not be retrieved.

Politicians should support those Institutions to grow, we are not saying you should not take loans, but you should ensure you pay the 23 loans to the Banks because without those loans there is no way they will sustain themselves and make profit.
We have to ensure that the Banks live to those policies.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, NATCOM have a very sacred responsibility.

You are a regulator regulating the Telecommunication Industry.

Three proposed Commissioners are here, there is an Executive Chairman.
I hope you will work with the Chairman to ensure that you regulate properly because a lot of concerns are coming from the public with regards how the Mobile Companies treat people in the area of tariffs and other charges, there are huge challenges in that particular Industry.

Two Civil Society Members are going there in the persons of Mr Sannoh and Mr Kargbo and I know from the background of Civil Society is to advocate on behalf of the ordinary man.
When you go to NATCOM that is the same job you are expected to do.

Work with your team so that you regulate those Mobile Companies properly in order for them not to move outside their realm.

They have to provide their services and please ensure that they avoid any form of cheating the Public.

It is presumed that there are lot innuendos going on with regards corruption in the Mobile Industry and please ensure you make that a thing of the past.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have a key nominee for the position of a Commissioner to NATCOM who is the Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray [Applause].

The Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma mentioned about the Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray of being in the last Parliament.

He was a mentor to us, he spent ten years in Parliament and he did very well, he was a fire brand and an advocate when we were in opposition.
I could remember vividly when Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray was debating, he made mentioned of Koribondo or Njaiama Bongo advocating on behalf of his people.

He is missed by this House, but of course we are hoping that when he gets to NATCOM, the expertise he has gathered from Parliament he can use it to ensure that the correct thing is done.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr Paul Square is an erudite Legal Practitioner.
That was demonstrated during the interview, he even turned the interview room into a Court room not until he was cautioned [Laughter].

He is a very serious Lawyer.

There are a 24 lot of legal issues at NATCOM, though he is not going there as a Legal Practitioner because I know that NATCOM is supposed to have a Legal retainer, but he can use his expertise to advice so that NATCOM will do the correct thing and they will not move outside their mandates.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, above all, all the nominees presented in the report by the Leader of Government Business are all qualified.

We do not have any problem with their qualifications and responsibilities according to their documents.

What has been at stake is their performance and this is a New Direction, His Excellency the President cannot afford to envisage none performance.
We want to admonish and crave your kind indulgence to please do your best to make these Institutions formidable, to sustain them so that service delivery will be easily accessible to the people and that is key.

All about governance is service delivery.

If you cannot provide the required services for the people, then you ought not to be a Government and for us, we are responsible and serious Government.

Government appoints people to help carry out its vision and mission.
I encourage my colleague Members of Parliament to hurriedly approve the nominees because they have a lot to do in ensuring that the required services get to the last person.

On that note, when approved, I will say congratulations in advance, but please ensure that you do your correct jobs because this Parliament through the various Standing Committees will be coming to your offices to see the kind of jobs you are doing.

I thank you very much [Applause].


THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution to the debate.

I will recognise the Honourable Member that is right in front of me at the very far end there.

HON.

MOMODU E. MANSARAY: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I am Honourable Momodu Eskimo Mansaray, the only Eskimo in the continent.

Let me start by telling you a very wise story.


There was a very beautiful lady; two men came by her side to win her in marriage, both of the men were praising themselves by saying: ‘I am so handsome, I am educated, I have experiences to do all what it takes for you to become a very powerful woman” but they were saying all sweet words to the 25 lady in the dark and the lady could not see their faces.
A very wise man as wise as our abled Speaker said to the two gentlemen and the lady ‘‘Lady, do not recognise any of their promises, wait until day break because everybody is speaking when the place is so dark, tomorrow when it is day break you will see the most handsome and there you will make your judgement.’’ I would have loved to say something about the nominees in front of us, but I cannot because I do not know you individually, but from what my colleagues Honourable Members have said about the experiences you had, how educated you are and I know that you are all capable of the jobs that you are appointed for, but I will not conclude about your performances until I see day break because we have lavished praises on people about how educated they are, how experience they are in this Well of Parliament, but at the end of the day it has been disappointment to us.
What we are saying here is please go and perform for Sierra Leoneans.

All that we are saying now is as if we are in the dark.

Whosoever does what His Excellency the President seek in terms of job performance we can praise him or her in the day when the place is clear to say thank you.

So many nominees have disappointed the past Governments and also this present Government and there are also some nominees who will come here again to disappoint His Excellency the President.
He is not doing any mistake of appointing you, you are Sierra Leoneans and you are worth to be employed because one way or the other you have contributed to the development of this country, but at the end of the day people think appointments are just about political affairs and at the end of the day they will not perform.
Please make sure that the dream of His Excellency the President is actualised because you are not there to work for yourselves, you are not there to work for your political parties, but to work for Sierra Leoneans.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about a person that I call my brother because I know what the Mansaray’s are capable of doing.
Mr Mansaray, you are going to NATCOM office, I know people have said a lot about NATCOM and I have no doubt that you will perform because the Mansaray’s are not funny people.

We have the experience and we have all what it takes to forge this country ahead.

Mr Mansaray, I 26 really do not want to say much, but let me give you a vivid picture of what happens to me with regards to the Secretaries.
As I said, you are not going there for any political party, but you are going there to work for Sierra Leoneans.

Talk to those whom you will meet there.

You are about to take a position which is for the benefit of Seven Million people, some of them are outside while you will be sitting in a very comfortable atmosphere, some are hungry and some walking on feet.
Please Mr Mansaray, when you go to your office tell the entire NATCOM that there is a Chiefdom in this country which is the most remote Chiefdom which is Tamiso Chiefdom with not even a single Tawa for the people to communicate and up till now they are climbing hills to communicate.

If you want to know about Tamiso there is a road at Fadugu which will lead you to the most remote Chiefdom.

Please think of Tamiso.

My constituency comprises of Tamiso, warawara Bafodia, and Kamukeh.
I am from Bafodia, but I will not say anything about Bafodia because it is far better than Tamiso.

If somebody moving from Tamiso to Bafodia he will think he is in London.

Please when you go to your office make sure that Tamiso have a communication pole so that the people in that village can communicate without climbing hills in search of network.

I hope this particular set of nominee’s glitters in gold for the benefit of the ordinary man.
In the three caskets, one bears the fair portrait of Portia and in the golden casket it was written that ‘‘all that glitters is not gold’’.

I hope as you have appeared before us with your qualifications and with your experiences, please make sure that you appear as gold.

I thank you Mr Speaker [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution.

Let me recognise the Honourable Mohamed Bangura.

HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.


That is the reason why we have you here as the Speaker and we are going to continue having you here as the Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, permit me to lend my voice to this very important debate.

This morning we have a set of presidential nominees before us to be approved and we are going to approve them [Applause].
27 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, colleague Members have been saying that our Mobile Telecommunication is the most expensive in the sub-region and that we have to come at per with the sub-region; do you know why Honourable Members?

Members of Parliament, I call upon us to look into the tax system of the Mobile Telecommunication.

The Telecommunication Industry is paying the highest tax in this country and some of the taxes are repeatable taxes.
If only we reduce the taxes that the Mobile Industries are paying then we will enjoy the benefit of having the service reasonable like other countries.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: Yes Sir.

THE SPEAKER: I am particularly strucked by that statement.

HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: Yes Sir.


THE SPEAKER: Having served as a Minister of Communication before, would you say the tariff which you now describe as the highest compared to other countries that tariff has come about either by design or by mistake?

HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: Mr Speaker, I would not want us to go back to yesterday.

We are having a New Direction and we are going to talk about the New Direction.

THE SPEAKER: I only ask the question to be enlightened further.

HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: Alright Sir.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I can tell you for sure that the Telecommunication Industry is the most taxed in this country.

That is why the Honourable Minister of Information and Communication held a retreat with them last week and that problem has been discussed and very soon this House will have the opportunity to learn from what I have said [Applause].
Mr Speaker, sometimes I asked myself why it has taken His Excellency the President so long to have former Members of Parliament in positions of authorities.

We have many of them in both the Sierra Leone People’s Party [SLPP] and the All People’s Congress [APC], people who can 28 be trusted to serve.

The unique thing about having former Members of Parliament to serve in positions of trust is that they are already grounded in the issues they will face.
He or she is seasoned and that was why I welcomed Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray this morning.

He has been a fatherly figure in this Parliament, he has been a man who cuts across both aisle in this Parliament.

So, for him to be called upon by His Excellency the President is a very good thing.

I want to call upon the Members and the Commissioners of NATCOM to know that NATCOM is not a place to rest.
The people of this country are calling upon your service, your know-how to go there and help contribute to the nation building.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, there are lots of challenges in NATCOM and recently we heard about the sim-box fraud which is a huge one and in fact it is the highest in the sub-region.

The sim-box fraud is costing our country a lot.


So, if you go there please sit down with the Chairman of NATCOM, put down policies that will curtail the illegal activities within the Telecommunication Industry.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about Mr Robert Koroma.

I am very pleased this afternoon that His Excellency the President is taping in to a pool of young people which I helped to bring up [Applause].
I can say it with authority in this House that for as long I have been grooming this young man and today His Excellency the President has picked him to serve as a Commissioner.

I say thank you Mr President because this appointment is not partisan [Applause].

He is not a SLPP neither APC nor National Grand Coalition [NGC] Member; he is a patriot, before he was a United Democratic Movement [UDM] Member [Applause].

He was one of the young breed I was bringing up.


Mr Robert Koroma, please do not let His Excellency the President down and above all do not let Honourable Mohamed Bangura down [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I think it fair at this stage that we invite him to show himself up again so that we see him clearly [Applause].

HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: He graduated from Mohamed Bangura’s school of taught [Laughter].
29 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr Joseph A. Sannoh who is from Heal Sierra Leone, the young people especially the student will miss you [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: Is he also a graduate of your school?

HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: No [Laughter].

Mr Speaker, he is not a graduate of my school of taught, but this young man is a patriot and His Excellency the President has demonstrated that he can look beyond SLPP [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: Let us recognise him again.

HON.


MOHAMED BANGURA: Mr Joseph A. Sannoh comes forward please [Applause].

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, if you did not know Mr Sannoh and you are meeting him for the first time, you will say, “You are the one who talks in the radio lambasting our Government” but I will tell you that this young man is a young patriot.

He has served this country.

Suspension of S O 5[2] being 12:00 noon THE SPEAKER: I was so enchanted, I almost forgot about the time.
I am seeing so many empty seats around, what is happening?

Do we have a quorum?

[Undertone] very well.

HON.

MOHAMED BANGURA: Thank you Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr Joseph A. Sannoh is well known to be a critic of wrong doing in this country.

He talked and shouted for things to go right at the Ministry of Education.

He stands up for young people and today he has been rewarded.
As I said earlier on, you are rewarded not because you are a SLPP, you are rewarded because you are a patriot of this country and that is why if God willing you are going to enjoy at NATCOM [Applause], but one thing that borders me now that you are going as Commissioner, what will happen to Heal Sierra Leone?

I will want you to have a successor who is vibrant like you to advocate for young people; the student need that advocacy.
So, do not go with Heal Sierra Leone, leave Heal Sierra Leone for it to stand up again.

30 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to talk about Miss Yeama Sarah Thompson.

She is a woman of substance, in fact, when I was serving as a Minister of Information, she used to come to my office and I used to tell her about the problems of Access to Right Information.
The Commission has been dissolved and among all of your counterparts, you have been picked by His Excellency the President to go there for a second term.

You have a wealth of experience; you have to help the new Chairman, he has been out for a long time.

Let the infighting during the previous Government be a thing of the past, the bad leadership that you use to have, let it be a thing of the past.
I have no doubt that you being the only survival you will go there to educate and work with your members for the betterment of this country.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Member, if we talking about a ‘New Direction’ today we are talking about new ways of doing business, we are talking about positive ways of doing business.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we all can attest that the nominees are new people with fresh ideas ready to go and show-case their talents.
Particularly NATCOM where you have 80% of the Commissioners are young people.

Kudos to His Excellency the President for looking at young people and identify them to serve for the interest of this country.

I believe that you will not let this country down.

Having said that I urged Honourable Members to speedily ratify the nominees.

I thank you [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Mohamed Bangura for his very erudite contribution.

Are you not a Member of the Appointments Committee?
Let us have a lady this time.

Honourable Nenneh Lebbie, you have the Floor.

HON: NENNEH LEBBIE: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to start by appreciating His Excellency the President for the fine nominees he has sent to this Well of Parliament for approval.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, before I say anything at this moment I want Mr Speaker to allow me appreciate Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma [Applause].
For the first time Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma impressed me for the personate statement he made in favour of women in this country [Applause].

I always appreciate men who favoured women.

31 Looking at the population of this country women are more than men.

Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma, I really appreciate you this morning, you spoke so well for the women and I want to add my voice to say women need to do more and having one woman among eleven is not a good ratio.
I know we have women out there with rich qualifications and capacity to perform [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: You may have one, but she is by far the best [Laughter].

HON: NENNEH LEBBIE: Mr Speaker, we still have more out there, but I still want to appreciate the President for recognising one woman among eleven and I want to assure the President that each time he gives appointment to women, he will not be disappointed, women will not disappoint this country.
Let me make a general statement first of all to all the nominees; you are serving Sierra Leone when approved, you are not serving SLPP nor are you serving religion or regions.

Let us make sure that we emulate the very good style of His Excellency the President Retired Brigadier Julius Maada by cutting across every line; for instance political, region and religion etc.
The President believes in team work, he knows that you people have the capacity to team up with him in pushing this country forward and that is why he has given you such good responsibilities.

So, please make sure you work up to expectation because we do not want to see other people picking up your positions.

All of you should know that there are thousands awaiting appointments so if you have been giving that opportunity please perform judiciously.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me start by talking about a brother since childhood and he is no less a person but Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray [Applause].

We use to call him J.B. Roy, we have known ourselves since childhood and since that time I have known Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray to be very receptive.

He has always been an elder brother to me, advising me like other Honourable Members have praised him so much [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: You want us to recognise your mentor?

32 HON.
32 HON.

NENNEH LEBBIE: Yes!

Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray comes forward please for a recognition [Applause].

Thank you very much Mr Speaker.


Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray deserve praises not only from this House, but from your constituents, it is only in politics that people can be myopic with respect to our constituents, but sometimes we can be myopic out there otherwise Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray deserve a very good accolade from his constituents because he did so well when he was in Parliament.
We were here in 2007 as Members of Parliament when we are in the Opposition seat, he was an elder brother advising us each time he sees that it is necessary for him to advise us.

Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray, much has been mentioned about NATCOM, you know the problems already, they have highlighted more to you and you have pledged that you will change the narratives.

I hope you will keep to your words and we would enjoy some very good facilities from NATCOM.
NATCOM is a very important unit in this country, it adds to the bread basket of this country.

We therefore rely on you to help change the narratives.

Highlights have been made of some of the issues that you need to pay attention to.

So, I hope you will pay heed to that and you will bring improvement as you have pledged during your interview.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I am a proud mother, a proud in-law, like Honourable Mohamed Bangura was saying.
Today, we are about to approve somebody who went through my hands since he was a child and that is no less a person but Mr Biah Yormah Idriss [Applause].

I am proud that I have a product that has been nominated by His Excellency the President for a very notable position.

You have made the people of that small village called S.O 2 ‘Mumajoe Kotaya’ meaning; the village is located where we have tar-mark road, but I do not know if there is still tar-mark road there.
The people of Mumajoe are proud of you today.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members the name Biah Yormah Idriss is a great name.

He got that name from the person who established the very village called Mumajoe.

The man was a king, a great warrior and Biah Yormah Idriss has demonstrated that since childhood.

Each time he was given positions of trust he never disappointed those who gave him that position.
33 He has served in different capacities; he is a teacher, he taught for many years, he served as Principal in the Every Nations College, he resigned because he wanted to go into politics and he is now working with ‘Radio New Song.’ Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have a very prominent alumni of Bo to which Mr Speaker belong and that is the great St. Andrews; the OSASA.

Mr Biah Yormah Idriss has served in the capacity as Chairperson of the region.
In few minutes from now Mr Biah Yormah Idriss will be approved to take a wider coverage of responsibility.

As you go into that field I have no doubt that you will perform because you have done it before and this time please prove your mentorship.

His Excellency the President does not like somebody who is lazy and as he has decided to team up with you please be a very good team partner.

The office you are about to assume is a new office for you and my gentle lady.
That office needs to be known by the people of this country.

When Mr Biah Yormah Idriss told me that he has been appointed to an office that is when I got to know that there has been an office of that nature.

You have to make sure that your office is known to the people of this country because we do not know that there is Right to Access to Information.
You are going to the Southern-Region, let us in the Southern-Region know about that office and their functions; embark on sensitisation because like one of our colleagues said, it is a very important office that will help to change the narratives of information and communications.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to thank you so much and I thank His Excellency the President for the recognition he has given to these fine nominees.
I wish you well when approved and I hope you will help to move Sierra Leone forward.

Thank you very much [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for her very constructive contribution and for recognising Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray as her mentor.

I will now take two more speakers, one from either side of the aisle.

I cannot quite see who should be?

No, today you are going to miss out [Laughter].


Let me recognise the Rabbi, after the Rabbi I will recognise the Honourable Member and then we wind up the debate.

HON.

SIRAJIN M. ROLLINGS-KAMARA: Thank you Mr Speaker.

I am happy that I caught your eyes and for my colleagues Civil Society Activists who have been 34 nominated [Undertone] I have not lost my identity yet sir.
I looked forward to this day when I was in the Civil Society world that I would have been appointed to any of such positions so I envy you guys.

Mr Joseph Abass Sannoh, Mr Robert Sheku Abdulai, Mr Alhassan Kamara and Miss Yeama Sarah Thompson of course Mr Buffy Bailor I will come to you later on a different note.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, what I want to admonish is that you people are representatives of the Civil Society family and today we see a lot of Civil Society Activists here supporting your nominations.

Mr Joseph A. Sannoh have just proven to me my allegations before, I have been pointing fingers at you for your greenness, but I am happy that today it has been confirmed, thank you very much [Applause].
Mr Joseph A. Sannoh is a very good friend, we worked together, he is an innovator and a development specialist, but I do not want to praise sing anymore because a lot have been said and the most important thing I want to challenge you is that you have a family in the galleries, they are here for your sake and I do not want you to disappoint them.

They came here believing that you have a mission to accomplish more often than not when we get appointed into positions we tend to forget our constituents.
In time past, His Excellency the former President Ernest Bai Koroma has been very much magnanimous to give appointment to media people and other Civil Society Activists, once the nomination is over they abandoned their field.

There is always time to come back, do not burn your bridges and for some of you it was specifically pointed that you are Civil Society representatives at NATCOM and National Medical Supplies [NMS] so it is a specific responsibility and I want you to be responsible to that.
Tony Blair once said, “Success is a sustained action against all odds” against everything please prove to your constituents, prove to your colleagues supporting you here today.

This message also goes to Mr Alhassan Kamara and Mr Robert Sheku Abdulai as well; you are here to serve the civil populace of this country.
Today, you are seeing me in black dress because one of us in the Civil Society world who is also a media personality in the person of Asma James called on us to put on black so that we urge the men to stop the barbaric games they are playing and even when she has been appointed as IMC Commissioner she still continues with her job.

So, 35 even when you are at NATCOM do not forget Heal Sierra Leone, there is always a fall back plan, do not forget where you came from.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members let me talk about Mr Buffy Bailor.

I know you are an accountant of high repute and everybody hold you at high esteem.

I want to talk on something that people have not mentioned.

We have worked together for a while at Sierra Leone Football Association [SLFA] when you served as Normalisation Committee Member, you brought in some expertise and now today I remembered you were like lobbing for resources all over the place and also to bring harmony in the family.
Today you are now placed at a position wherein you can even close your eyes and deep your hand in the basket and take something for the good of the game and I want to encourage you to see in that direction.

I could remembered when we were boys going to school, SLCB employed over 30% of the footballers in this nation so also the Bank of Sierra Leone and I want you to consider that at a time when the sporting family need financial support I think you can make a difference.
I want to encourage you to put on that lens to see what you have been doing at SLFA; football and sport in general and now taking the helm of affairs at the SLCB, I think we can see the difference.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, in conclusion, Mr Paul Square is my community person, I think people tend to forget about him.
He is a legal person, he is SLPP and I am APC, but we always talk on issues and today after a long marathon I think His Excellency the President Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio has remembered him.

Please go and represent not only yourself, but the people of Brook Fields even if they have never voted you to win, but you got considerable votes in the 2012 election and I am sure you still have fans there.

So, please take this appointment seriously and make Sierra Leone proud.
Service is the rent we pay for living on earth so go and render service for the good of Mama Sierra Leone.

God bless us all [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution to the debate.

Let me just observe that there are a lot of uniform school children in the galleries today.
We have no objection to you are coming to support the nominees who appear before this House, but we should also take cognisance of the fact that the period you spend 36 here is school time so please make sure that you compensate for the loss you have incurred at school by spending extra hours after you leave this place.

If you fail to do that in future I might have second thought about accommodating you [Applause].
So remember, the hours you spent here must be compensated for by extra hours of study at school when you return, if you fail to do that in future, no uniform pupil will be allowed in this House especially during school time.

We continue with the debate.

HON.

OSMAN W. JALLOH: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, before going any further let me take this opportunity to thank His Excellency the President for having done in his own wisdom to appoint these fine nominees to occupy those positions.

But I want to remind this House and these nominees seated in front of us here over the years this House have approved so many nominees.
We are not only here to praise singing you for what you have done, but in order for us to let you know that you are appointed today because His Excellency the President have faith in you and he is looking forward that you will occupy your offices and make a difference.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to start with the SLCB and the RCB.
Honourable Members, it is no secret to this House that over the years Banks have denied our people access to loan which have resulted in so many petty loaning companies pupping out or surfacing from every corner of this country to rip our people off.

No nation can develop if we do not have access to our Banks.

Many of you can testify that our small scale business entrepreneurs who are in need of financial aid to move their businesses forward are struggling to get loans from these Banks.
In many cases we hear people say foreigners are coming in, for instance a Lebanese will come in and they will have access to Millions and Billions of Leones loans to establish their business, but the indigenous Sierra Leoneans are struggling on a daily basis to secure loan [Applause].

I want to appeal to all of you to please go, occupy these offices and do well.
I am sure we will approve you today, but bear this in mind let us look at ways in which we can incorporate and to promote the indigenous businesses in this country and let us open the market to them.

I am proud of SLCB for one thing I can say it with 37 certainty that it is one of the Banks that have the easiest conditions to open a bank account, kudos to and please continue in that trend.
But some of the other Banks will ask you for criterion that will continue to put the local people away from the banking system and no nation can develop without access to the Bank.

I am appealing to you as you go to your new offices to create jobs and access to loan for the people so that the people will be able to actualise their own dreams.
Every year we are have thousands of graduates coming out of universities, we cannot keep all these people into Government jobs, some of them have to be entrepreneurs and we will have to open the market for them by allowing them to access Bank loans with little and small conditions that will enable them to access money.

Mr Buffy Bailor and Mr Sahr Foa Matturi, with your experiences in the Bank over the years I am sure you will take this advice.
Please engage the Bank management and all the staff that are concern within the Bank to see how best you can make the market more open to the local indigenous people.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about Access Information Commission which has been a controversial issue since the previous Government.

Thank God the Commission is finally coming into existence.
What I will employ you here to do is that you work together with the media, do not forget that the media is one of the fourth estate in this country.
If we are to move this country forward and if we are to help His Excellency the President to fight corruption Access to Information must be available to every Sierra Leonean of this country because over the years we have observed that people are involved in doggy contracts and arrangements and most of these information are been kept in secrecy wherein no one can access them, it has created and breed more corruption into this country.
Please sir, as you take up that office, mind you it is a new office, open up the market, do your research, bring out things that this country need to know.

What we are putting in place today is not against APC Members, but for us the SLPP Members, we need to set a brighter example so that our brothers will follow.
We are not here competing with APC, we are the fathers of democracy, we set the pace and they follow, we are here to fight corruption as His Excellency the President has said and that should be our ultimate goal [Applause].

All these 38 Commissioners that will be approving here today you should know that your job is to help the President fight corruption.

I wish you well in your offices.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, coming to the Commissioners of NATCOM, most of my colleagues Honourable Members have said it.

Sierra Leone has been ripped off.

You cannot imagine how much we are paying for a single top-up, if you top-up Le20,000 it will not even last you to make three calls.
We have been ripped off in this country, nobody is talking for the masses; we do not just want to come here praise sing and approve you, we are approving you and sending you out there to do the work for the people.

NATCOM is one of the industries that can create more jobs for young people and His Excellency the President is looking forward to that.
Go out there and engage these telecommunication companies whether it is Orange, Africell etc they can create more jobs for the youths in this country, do not go there and sit round your tables with air condition.

I am happy that there is a legal practitioner among you; Mr Paul Square, I know when you go into this Commission, you will look at the agreement, document and loopholes that you can bring forward to the Commission in order for this Commission to be more functional than as it is.
I do not want to take much of your time because I can see most of my colleague Members want to go for lunch.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I cannot end my contribution without saying congratulations to my one and only brother Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray.

I have known him over the years you are one of the Members of Parliament that have struggled a lot under the Paopa movement.
I was so happy when I heard your appointment for this position, I hope you will go out there just like my colleagues Honourable Members were saying.

You have so much passion, sometimes you expressed your passion to such an extent that you cry.

Go out there and bring that passion into that Commission and bring the best.

I have confidence in you, I know you will deliver and I wish you all the best.
All the nominees are ambassadors of His Excellency the President and Members of Parliament will be keeping an eye on each and every one of you.

I wish you well in your new offices.

Thank you very much Mr Speaker and God bless you [Applause].

39 THE SPEAKER: Thank you very much Honourable Member for your contribution.

We will now wind up the debate and I will recognise the Acting Leader of the Opposition.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY [ACTING LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION]: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, having heard all the nice words that have been said by my colleagues Honourable Members about the nominees that we have in front of us, I would have been forced to just wrap it up, but I cannot for obvious reasons and I will say why.

Today, we have a set of nominees again that His Excellency the President have presented to us.
We on this side have always said that when we have good people in front of us, we will give our nod because we expect that they are going with a thought that they are going to work for Sierra Leone and not for themselves or their political party.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, today you have opportunities to pay back to certain people for what you have experienced in life; today is not an exception.
For those of us who went to the Albert Academy at Berry Street, today we have in our midst somebody that we grew up together, whose father was not only the Principal for us, but a father figure.

The only man that I knew whose four male children names starting with ‘B’.

Today we have Mr Buffy Bailor in front of us.


Mr Speaker, let me give you a story; when I was in form three, we had the late Mr Bailor of blessed memory; he bumped into our classroom, having that panic that the Principal is in our class to teach Biology, he stood up and pointed at me and ask how many legs does a frog have?

I said two, Mr Bailor turned to me and said except those frogs from Tonkolili.
That tells you being the Principal, he knew all his students, where they are coming from and what they stand for.

Today he is gone, but we developed a relationship with the children, they were open to us and we were like brothers in the same institution, thanks for the upbringing by that man.

Today, we are all friends and brothers and again when we went to college, the elder brother was a very close friend of mine by the name of Mr Max Ader Bailor.
However, I have no reason of doubt that Mr Buffy Bailor will deliver at the Commercial Bank because after Albert Academy he was fortunate to pursue a professional course in Accounting and today he is in front of us to head one of the 40 Commercial Banks that has been challenged over the years.

My colleague was talking about expecting so much from RCB which was first called Barclays, a very reputable Bank and now to RCB.
We expect no less but the best from RCB because my colleague is going to head as Chairman.

He will inject a new doze of life into RCB, but be that as it may, we will still monitor and pay attention to the Bank we expect the best from you and for this country.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, if I do not say anything about a particular individual he will strangle me to death.
He used to sit at the left part of the aisle, when he got up to speak, we will say do not cry because he is so passionate, but there is one thing which comes to mind; his appointment is telling us that the Parliamentarians who served their parties are given due recognition.

The parties do realise that the Parliamentarians are an integral part of the political parties to which they belong and they must be given due consideration for appointments of this nature.
Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray was my colleague and we served in the Information and Communications Committee.

The Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma from Koniadugu was talking about a building that is in construction.
I travelled with Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray to Senegal and Ivory Coast and upon our returned we had a meeting with NATCOM, it was at that meeting that we challenged the management that what we saw in Senegal and Ivory Coast put up a building that benefit the communication Commission and that is the building that the Honourable Member was referring to, the construction of a modern building, a multi-story building for NATCOM that will benefit the telecommunication Commission.
What we saw in Senegal and the Ivory Coast shows that they are an upward moving institution and we want to see that replicated here and indeed they went all out to have it.

I think the Leader of Government Business was also part of that arrangement.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, having the Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray appointed as a Commissioner is no mistake by His Excellency the President because he knows what it takes to be at NATCOM, he knows the challenges and we expect that when he goes there he will together with Parliament work for the progress of that Commission and let me remind the Commissioners there 41 that the Act is what we work with because that is the backbone of the Institution.
We do not have an Executive Commissioner, we have a Chairman of the Commission and we hope that all the people operating within that Commission will understand that without an Executive Chairman we have Commissioners and we also have the head of the Commission.

Please let us have it in mind because sometimes the lawyer says people act ‘ultra-vires’ that is acting beyond the power given to them and the Act is where the power graduate from.
So, let us stick by the Act, do things according to the Act and ensure that what the Act says is what we do.

I think having Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray as a Commissioner at NATCOM is no mistake and of course we have the confidence and faith in him that he will deliver because we know him for his passion, commitment and his pedigree [Applause].
Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray, it is left with you to fail us or to prove us right, but what we know of you is that you have the ability to deliver and please deliver and work with Parliament.

We expect that you can be the bridge between NATCOM and this House so that mistakes of a Legislative nature will not take place; an Act is actually followed to the latter.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, so much have been said about all the nominees.

I cannot take my seat without talking about the lady.
I have always promoted ladies here and when we have ladies coming to this House it is befitting that we give them the necessary support to ensure that they are not only ladies by themselves, but have men to support them.

You have our support as Members of Parliament, considering the facts that you are coming from the media house to that Institution.

When you sense certain things then you know is wrong please correct them.

We hope that you will deliver as expected.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, having said that we need to look at our interest rate in the Banks.

If we must stimulate growth in our economy, the interest rate must be looked at.

The Honourable Member from Goderich was talking about access to loans at the Banks.

The loans are there, but they can give somebody a loan with 25% interest.
Let us look at those aspects, we are talking about improving agriculture in our country and any individual who wanted to invest in agriculture should pay 25% interest for a 42 loan that will take some time to mature, how do we expect to stimulate growth with that?

We do not have any agricultural Bank, but yet the Government allocated 5% to agriculture from our GDP.

We need to rethink and ensure that our Banks create the environment to encourage people to invest in those areas.
Mr Buffy Bailor being the innovated person that is always in search of new ideas, I expect you to look at them together with other Commercial Banks and make sure that the interests are been re- examined.

Let us have more business friendly atmosphere to encourage greater investment that will stimulate growth in our economy.

We cannot develop without having or encouraged Private Banks, we cannot grow.
Our businesses are contracting excessive taxation, but we give the budget one year to mature and then we come back to this House to say we told you so or we were right when you said so.

We are waiting for that.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, to all the nominees that are in front of us, we will give you the support to be approved.

Like what Honourable Momodu Eskimo Mansaray from Koniadugu was saying, we say it in the dark, but let us wait until day break before we can pass judgement.
We have the confidence and trust in you, we cannot stand in the way of the nominees that are nominated by His Excellency the President because he might have made his judgement to nominate you; it is left with you to deliver and prove him right or prove us wrong for approving you.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about Mr Joseph Abass Sannoh.

The students have clapped so much for you and I will not say anything about you.
You brought your support base, they have supported you enough, go and deliver.

You are not a Civil Society Activist any more, you are working within an establishment so the attitude must be different from what is in the Civil Society field.

Working from outside is different from working within, we hope you have that in mind and when you go there think Sierra Leone and not political party.

We want that to be very much ingrained in the minds of these nominees that are in front of us today.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, having said that, I will ask my colleagues Honourable Members to hastily approve the nominees and the Commissioners and for them to always remind the 43 chairman that he is not an Executive Chairman, he is the chairman of the Commission, we have the Commissioners who will meet and take decision.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray knows the Act in and out, you have been playing with it over a period of time, please guide your colleagues, make them understand and we expect you to actualise when you are there.

When it comes to Executive issues and they made a mistake we will hold you responsible because you ought to know better than them.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, having said that I want to urge my colleagues Honourable Members to approve the nominees so that they can go to their various offices and let see what would happened in the next couple of months.

I thank you very much [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Acting Leader of the Opposition.

Leader of Government Business, you have the Floor.

HON.
HON.

SIDIE M. TUNIS: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to thank my colleague Honourable Members for their brilliant debate and contributions.

I do not have much to say.

I however just make a clarification especially for our women in this country [Undertone] Honourable Members please your Leader is up.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Leader of Government Business, I think you are quite correct, there is a new enclave that is developing on my right [Laughter].

HON.
HON.

SIDIE M. TUNIS: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want the public to know that His Excellency the President has women in mind and he will continue to nominate them at all times.

We have approved so many women in various positions in the past.

We had thirty seven presidential nominees, we have only dealt with eleven and we still have twenty six presidential nominees to handle in the next few days.
I want to assure this Honourable House that there are so many credible high profile women on the list.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have very capable people who have been nominated by His Excellency the President.

I have no doubt in their capability to perform because Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio does not encourage failure.
44 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I am happy that we have a former Honourable Member who served five years as a Deputy Minority Whip and of course as a Member of Parliament for ten years.

The Honourable Jusufu Barry Mansaray also served as a Member of the Communications Committee under which this Parliament provided oversight for NATCOM.

He is going to NATCOM as a highly experienced nominee of His Excellency the President, so we are expecting a lot from him.
On the broader sense, I believe all our nominees are highly qualified.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the RCB is a very lucky Institution in fact, the people of this country are lucky to have somebody like Mr Buffy Bailor to serve as Chairman.

Mr Buffy Bailor is not only a financial specialist, but he is a highly disciplined individual so we believe that in the next few months we will beg to see changes in the RCB.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I believe my colleague Honourable Members have said it all.

I want to assure the nominees that we will always give them our support as Parliament and we will always be there for them.

Thank you very much [Applause].

[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed To] [Motion of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Services has been approved] THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, it is now my pleasant duty to have the last word on this issue.
His Excellency the President has made his nominations and the House has seen fit to approve unanimously all the nominees that have appeared before us today.

We have no doubt that all of them have the capacity to perform, all of them have what it takes to make a difference to the various Institutions they have been assigned.
I wish to draw particular attention to the RCB, all of us who are acquainted with the approved chairman of that Bank hold high hopes that RCB is going to be a highly performing Bank for the benefit of this nation.
The last word I want to say about NATCOM is merely to reiterate what the Acting Leader of the Opposition has just reminded us that is they are going there as Members of the Commission and I have no doubt with their background, with their experiences and expertise they are going to give the necessary support and expertise that NATCOM so badly needs.

It is often said that there is an 45 Executive Chairman there.
I would simply say to them, please read the Act of Parliament setting up NATCOM properly and you would see that the Act itself is silent on that very issue and until that is changed we know that there is a Chairman with whom you are going to work.

We wish you well, we are confident, you are going to live up to the confidence and the trust reposed in all of you by His Excellency the President and by this House unanimously.

So, we wish you God’s speed and good luck in your new assignment [Applause].
I will now entertain a few S.O 23’s before we break for lunch.

HON.

MOMOH BOCKARIE: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, my name is Honourable Momoh Bockarie representing the people of constituency 012 comprising of Dama, Koya and Gavra Chiefdom in Kenema District.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the business of any serious Government like this Government is to provide for the citizens of the country, protect their lives and properties and to take care of their wellbeing.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, as a Member of the Human Rights Committee, there is a breaking news on social Media and our local news about a twelve years old boy who went to celebrate his 12th birthday at the Freetown Amusement Park who was mysteriously found dead by drowning at the swimming pool.

His parents went with him there and left him in care of the workers to enjoy his birthday.
Based on information, he was removed from the pool with broken bones and the Police are charged with the responsibility to conduct investigation about the cause of the death, but according to information about two days ago on our local news, the investigation process is being dragged by the police.
Recommendations were made for the Freetown Amusement Park to be closed down temporarily for investigations to be carried out, but information from the parents on our local news, they said that the Park has resumed full operations and the suspect in custody of the Police who is a worker at the Park has been released.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, being a Member of the Human Rights Committee and the protection of lives and properties being the priority of this Government, I want to move a Motion and I want this House to support it: “That the Freetown Amusement Park be temporary closed and the Police be instructed 46 to carry out a speedy investigation about the cause of death of that boy.” That is my submission Mr Speaker [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: You have moved a Motion and it is a very serious one.

Any seconder?
Any seconder?

HON.

ALUSINE KANNEH: Mr Speaker, I second the Motion.

Mr Speaker, let me say a few words in connection to what the Honourable Momoh Bockarie has just said.

I am the Chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee, it is a serious indictment on the Police to drag the investigations into the tragic death of a young boy and I believe the Police should speedily investigate that particular matter.

I support the Motion, I am for it and I am asking Members to support the Motion as well.
Thank you [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank both the mover of the Motion and the seconder.

[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed To] THE SPEAKER: I hereby direct the Clerk to communicate with the Inspector General of Police the content of the Motion that has just been carried by this House [Applause].

S.O 23?

Yes please.

HON.


DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA [LEADER OF NGC]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to plead that when we resume that we are giving an indication of the rest of the schedule for the next two weeks as to when Parliament will close so we can plan our constituency activities.

At this time, there is a lot of request for our presence in the constituencies so if we could know in advance the sittings for the next two weeks we can plan accordingly.

Thank you Mr Speaker.


THE SPEAKER: Honourable Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, I take due note of your concern, but I am afraid I am not in a position to give you prior notice of when we shall adjourn the House until we have duly passed the Budget, but we are on course doing that hopefully before the end of this week.

Now before we rise it has been brought to my attention that we have lost one of our former Member of Parliament in the person of Honourable Kondeh of Koinadugu who passed away not too long ago.
So shall we all rise for a minute silence in honour of the deceased?

[A minute of silence observed] In connection with the motion that we have just passed I think the Oversight Committee 47 on Human Rights should take due note of the motion and summon the police and the relevant authorities who have been working in that Park for the necessary investigation by the Oversight Committee.

So with that we are going to take two hours break to allow Members sufficient time to read the Reports.
I keep saying and I keep reminding this House that we will endeavour not to be perceived as a rubber-stamp Parliament.

We know we have before us the Reports from the various Committees coming to the Committee of the whole House, but it does not mean that because they are our own Sub-Committees that we will necessarily rubber-stamp them.

Let us take time to look at them thoroughly and then come and resume as the Committee of the whole House.

So we stand adjourned and we shall resume at 3p.m today.
[The House stood down at 1:15p.m] [The House resumed at 3:25p.m] [Suspension of S.O 5[2] being 3:00 noon] THE SPEAKER: Do we have a quorum?

I am sorry Leader, if in the course of our Proceedings we run out of a quorum I will bring Proceedings to a halt [Undertone] I want it to be certain.

What is the quorum?

Quorum is one-fourth, do we have one- fourth [Undertone] Okay I am told we have a quorum and there are no phantoms amongst us [Laughter].

Yes!

Go ahead.
Yes!

Go ahead.

V. BILL COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY THE APPORPRIATION ACT, 2019 Being an Act to authorise expenditure from the Consolidated Fund for the services of Sierra Leone for the year 2019 and for other related matters.
[The House resolves into Committee of Supply] [FIRST ALLOTED DAY] 48 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY NO.3 VOTE HEADS: 208-01, 124-05, 407-00, 408-00, 305-05, 406-00, 417-00, 308-00, 305- 03, 110-01, 416-00, 409-01, 304-00, 209-00, 409-04, 314-00, 106-01, 110-09, 107-44, 701-01 all to stand part of the schedule.

THE MINISTER OF FINANCE PATRICIA N. LAVERLEY [DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE]: VOTE DIV.
208 01 VOTE DESCRIPTION NATIONAL FIRE AUTHORITY AMOUNT [LE] 17,760,925,300 124 407 408 305 406 417 05 00 00 05 00 00 JUSTICE SECTOR COORDINATION OFFICE 605,742,400 MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY 7,191,234,000 MINISTRY OF WORKS AND PUBLIC ASSETS 12,000,580,300 NATIONAL CHILDREN’S COMMISSION 2,109,920,900 MINISTRY OF ENERGY 104,941,857,400 NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION 3,293,953,100 AUTHORITY 308 00 NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL ACTION 1,612,301,400 [NaCSA] 305 03 NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PERSONS WITH 2,602,644,500 DISABILITIES 110 416 409 304 01 00 01 00 NATIONAL ASSETS AND PROPERTY COMMISSION 1,087,812,600 CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY 1,830,818,200 SIERRA LEONE STANDARDS BUREAU 3,444,701,400 MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SANITATION 174,014,044,100 49 209 409 314 106 110 107 701 701 701 701 00 04 00 01 09 44 01 01 01 01 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY UNIT 6,277,586,600 SIERRA LEONE PRODUCE MARKETING COMPANY 518,362,600 NATIONAL HIV/AIDS COMMISSION 3,507,994,500 PRESIDENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE 900,000,000 INDEPENDENT MEDIA COMMISSION [IMC] 578,710,400 PROVINCIAL SECRETARY’S OFFICE, MAKENI 3,183,919,600 PORT LOKO DISTRICT COUNCIL KAMBIA DISTRICT COUNCIL TONKOLILI DISTRICT COUNCIL FALABA DISTRICT COUNCIL [Question Proposed] 7,357,628,620 6,465,202,914 8,655,514,585 3,537,042,725 [I therefore call on the Chairman Sub-Appropriation Committee 3 to present his Report] THE CHAIRMAN: Chairman of the Sub-Appropriation Committee 3, you are directed to speak strictly to the essential matter of the Report since your Report has already been distributed and Members have had an opportunity to read the Report during the break for recess.
HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will like to start Committee three [3] Report.

1.

Procedure Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, before the exercise commenced, summon letters and open-ended questionnaires were sent out to all Vote Controllers requesting their presence; both past and present core staff.

In line with S.O.
In line with S.O.

66[1], Vote Controllers, Accountants and other senior officials were requested to respond to questions relating to their budgetary allocations, state their challenges and provide explanation on how they have been carrying out their mandate.

This was meant to determine the efficient and prudent use of financial resources.
During the course of the exercise, the Committee observed traditionally established parliamentary procedures; that is, reading 50 the relevant provisions in the Constitution and the Standing Orders to emphasise the Committee’s legal standing and putting auditees on oath to ascertain the authenticity and accuracy of their responses as inscribed in Section 93 Sub-Section 6[a] of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
Besides, in line with S.O 73[20], the hearings were open to the public, but this Committee admonished media houses about premature publications of Committee decisions as contained in S.O 75[1-3].

MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE Hon.

Moses B. Jorkie Chairman Hon.

Abdul T. Kamara Deputy Chairman Hon.

Brima Mansaray Hon.

Mohamed F. Lansana Hon.

Miatta H. Amara Hon.

Ibrahim A. Bangura Hon.

Charles J. Conteh Hon.

PC Kandeh Finnoh III Hon.

Abubakarr Fofanah Hon.

Hafiju M. Kanja Hon.


Mansamyo K. Kamanda Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Hon.

Abdul K. Kamara Member Hon.

Bai S. Kamara Member Hon.

Mohamed Kanneh Member Hon.

John S. Kargbo Member Hon.

Peter Y. Koroma Member Hon.

Yusuf Mackery Member 51 Hon.

Alusine Marah Member Hon.

PC Faslie Kulako Demba Marah III Member Hon.

Sama I. Sandy Member Hon.

Zainab C. Tarawally Member Hon.

Soriba A. Turay Member Hon.


PC Joe Kangbai Macavouray III Member SECRETARIAT Moriba Songa Clerk-in-Charge Musa L. A. Foullah Mohamed Kargbo Sulaiman Bah Rita Sesay Samuel A. Koroma Clerk Clerk Clerk Clerk Clerk 2.
Objectives of the Exercise Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, without prejudice to S.O 66[1], this Sub- Appropriation Committee undertook this exercise with the objectives of finding out:  Whether the Ministry Department and Agencies [MDAs] adhered to National Public Financial Management regulations as means of enhancing accountability in the utilisation of public resources allocated under the 2018 Budget and with regards to compliance with the Treasury Single Account [TSA] and how that might positively or negatively affect the 2019 allocations;  The challenges and constraints faced by the MDAs assigned to this Committee;  Whether the budgetary resources were properly prioritised and prudently utilised; 52  The revenue targets and revenue status of MDAs to improve economic growth;  To enable Vote Controllers and their Accounting Personnel justify the figures factored in their recurrent and development expenditure estimates for 2019; and  Whether their 2019 budgetary submissions were in line with their work plan.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, before delving into the specifics of this Report, I wish to thank and commend the Leadership of Parliament especially the Chairman and Members of the Finance Committee for their efforts in organising the Sub-Appropriation Committees and coordinating their activities within the limited time frame.

Special thanks goes to the Office of the Clerk for providing the secretariat for this Committee that worked tirelessly in compiling this Report.

3.
3.

General Observations and Recommendations Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, during scrutiny of the various MDAs assigned to this Committee, the following general observations and recommendations were noted:  The Committee observed separate budget lines for office and general, office equipment and computers, which took chunks of MDAs allocations.
The Committee described such as ‘duplicative expenditures’ geared towards misusing public funds which if not addressed could lead to more fraud and other irregularities.
Thus, the Committee recommends that the Accountant General’s Department delete the nomenclature ‘office and general’ from the books and replace it with a redesigned budget head that will clearly show what specifically money was spent on;  Most MDAs encountered serious challenges with regards to counterpart funding for development projects.

This they said would serve as a major impediment to achieving service delivery.
The Committee recommends that Government meets its financial obligations on time;  The Ministry of Finance has improved on its timely release of MDAs allocations especially to the Local Councils which was not the case in 2015 and 2016.
The Committee recommends that the Ministry of Finance continues to allocate 53 resources to all MDAs on time in order to enable them carry out their mandate; and  The Ministry of Finance has greatly adhered to the implementation of this Committee’s previous recommendations.
In last year’s Report of this Committee for instance, it observed that some of the Commissions created by this House through legislations were still considered by their respective Ministries as appendages or departments and as a result, the purpose and intent for their existence were being undermined especially the Children and Disability Commissions whose budgets were linked with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs [MSWGCA].
In this regard, the Committee recommends that the Ministry of Finance continues to provide all MDAs a greater deal of latitude to manage their funds and their activities reported to their respective ministries.

4.
4.

Specific Observations and Recommendations 304-00: MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SANITATION Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Ministry of Health & Sanitation [MOHS] believes that access to sound health is a human right and its vision therefore is to ensure a functional national health system that delivers efficient, high quality health care services that are accessible, equitable and affordable for everybody in Sierra Leone.
In a nutshell, MOHS aims to provide quality and affordable health care and nutrition services, reduce inequalities to improve the health of all especially mothers and children.

The health system in Sierra Leone is comprised of Public and Private Services that operate on either profit or non-profit basis for example Non-Governmental Organizations [NGOs] including faith-based and traditional health care.
The public health service run by Government accounts approximately 80% of the health service utilisation.

MOHS has a network of 1,264 public and private health facilities, including 40 hospitals of which 23 are Government owned with the rest owned by private, non- 54 governmental and faith based organisations.
To build a progressive, responsive and sustainable technologically-driven, evidence-based and client-centered health system for accelerated attainment of the highest standard of health for the country, it demands political interest and huge financial investment.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, over the years, various strides were taken to increase the health budget as actualised in this year’s 2019 allocation of Le549bln representing 10% of the total budget as compared to 2011 when public spending on health was only 3.4% of GDP.
The New Direction’s health financing trajectory as the Finance Minister said, would progressively step up through domestic capital budgeting to embrace construction of ultra-modern diagnostic Health Centre amongst others that would reduce the high cost on Sierra Leoneans that seek such diagnostic and treatment abroad.
To help achieve these and any other emergency health situations, many legislations and policies have been put in place, for example the National Health Sector Recovery Plan [2015 to 2020], President’s Recovery Priorities [2015 to 2017], all these set strategic objectives to revamp the health sector after the dreadful Ebola Virus Disease in 2015.
In 2017 and 2018, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation received the following from the Government of Sierra Leone: 2017 [Quarter 1 and 2] Le47,468,500,000bln [Quarter 3 and 4] Le39,068,840,000bln Total Le86,539,340,000bln 2018 [Quarter 1 and 2] Le16,679,400.00mln [Quarter 3 and 4] Le28,707,500.00mln Total Le45,386,900.00mln Looking at the expenditure patterns covering the complex network of the Ministry, the Committee paid keen interest on the following:  Drugs and Medical Supplies: 55 Procurement of Free Health Care Drugs Le4,720,000,000bln Counterpart contribution to GAVI Le1,020,000,000bln Annual Subscription to WHO Le220,000,000mln Nigeria Health Corporation [TAC] Le519,800,000mln TOTAL Le6,479,800,000bln National Rehabilitation Le120,000,000mln Onchocerciasis Procurement of medical kilts Le20,000,000mln National Eye Care Le80,000,000mln Health Education Le40,000,000mln Freight and Port charges Le6,574,789,770bln Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, from the 2017 and 2018 budgetary receipts, the Committee noted the following: That for the years under review, the Finance Ministry did not disburse to the Health Sector in whole what were approved as stated: Table 1: Variance in GoSL Budgetary Allocations to MoHS Year Approved budget Amount Deficit balance disbursed 2017 2018 Total 107,886,903,200 86,539,340 107,800,363,890 154,129,702,600 45,386,900 154,084,315,700 262,016,605,800 113,926,240, 261,884,679,590 [i] Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, it was clear that with such meagre amount spent by the National Government on the health Sector indicates that our health system is run by donors that dictate the direction it goes irrespective of our legislations; 56 [ii] The Port charges on essential goods of national interest especially on health products are becoming intolerable.
The reported Freight and port charges reported by the Ministry totalling Le6,574,789,770bln of Government of Sierra Leone budget quadrupled the amount used to provide basic medical services as Malaria Control and Prevention, Dental Services, Safe Blood services, etc; and [iii] Bank statements/expenditure breakdown reconciling the amount of Le11,303,370,789bln being part of the amount not expended for 2018 was not made available to the Committee.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation received the following donor monies for the years under review: Table 2: Donations received by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in 2018 2018 Donor Partner Amount US $ Purpose Global Fund [1] June 2016 - June 2018 14,974,878.46 Global Fund [2] July 2018- June 2021 6,664,433.47 To fight against Malaria, TB and to strengthen Health System World Bank ,Regional Disease To mitigate against the Surveillance System Enhancement [REDISSE] outbreak of any disease in the sub region through country 2,866,639.98 coordinated efforts World Bank EERP World Bank HSDP 6,696,431.48 Ebola Emergency Response Project 4,542,541.38 To improve the Utilisation and improve the quality of essential Maternal and Child Health 57 Total 35,744,924 services and Emergency Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the following expenditures of donor Funds were explained thus:  That Global Fund as highlighted had been utilised on areas ranging from human resource capacity building to health Products [Pharmaceutical Products Procurements], infrastructure and publications of informative materials.
It was closed in June, 2018; and  That Global Fund 2 was still on-going and had expended $1,359,327.48 on travel costs, procurement and supply chain management, etc.

in full compliance with donor regulations.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, having scrutinised the Health budget, vis-à-vis its reported procedures, the Committee recommends the following:  That the Ministry of Finance explains to the Nation why over the years parliamentary approved budgets to MDAs were not met and why the Ministry had failed to issue any official communication to proffer reasons why such commitments were not honoured;  That because of the escalating charges on essential health products at the Queen Elizabeth Port, this House summons the Ports Management to bring forward legislations for amendment that will cover both the operational interest of private partnership investments at the Ports and the interest of the general populace at large;  That the MoHS reports fully on its revenue generation from all Government supported medical institutions for the year under review, ranging from surgical operations, drugs supplied and other charges accrued.
It will interest you to know that a week of admission at the Annexes Wards at Connaught Hospital costs Le645,000 per patient, surgical operations of Laparotomy Le800,000 per 58 patient, Guitar- Le800,000 per patient and Hernia is Le500,000 per patient.
Mr Chairman, let the health sector explain how much they have and how these moneys were utilised because Government pays the health personnel, drugs and maintenance the hospitals;  The Parliamentary Health and Sanitisation Committee, critically looks into all multilateral health partnership agreements in a bid to ascertain whether they are working as planned and in the best interest of the country for instance the Italian Medical Emergency Team at Goderich and the Chinese Medical Team and Hospital at Jui would be among others to properly look into; and  That the 2019 budget of Le174,014,044,100 be approved with corresponding payments of all arrears due this Ministry.
208-01: NATIONAL FIRE FORCE AUTHORITY Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the National Fire Authority has a mission to enhance effective management, protection and swift response to fire incidents within Sierra Leone.

The Chief Fire Force Officer appeared before the Committee to respond to queries from the filled questionnaire.
In 2018 Financial Year [FY], the Authority’s approved budget was Le12,636,400, 000 by the Ministry of Finance, but only received the sum of Le1,707,810,999 as Government of Sierra Leone regular budget.
Requested to brief the Committee how the said amount was expended, the Chief Fire Force Officer stated that the money was utilised on fuel and oil, office stationery, procurement of local rice for officers, vehicle maintenance, 30% payment for the construction of four fire stations [Western Rural, Pujehun, Kialahun and Kabala], firefighting equipment and chemicals, payment of withholding tax, procurement of five fire engines, maintenance of four fire stations, procurement of uniforms, training of new fire fighters, imprest, etc.
Asked to explain areas affected by the reduction in the 2018 allocation, the Chief Fire Force Officer informed the Committee that the decrease undermined the Authority’s intention to 59 complete the construction of four fire stations, local trainings and procurement of uniforms and recruitment of more fire fighters.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, what came out clearly during the Committee’s engagement with officials of Fire Force was the procurement activities undertaken by the Authority during the period under review.

The Committee noted from the review of the filled questionnaire that separate expenditure pattern on the procurement of office equipment and computers.
The Chief Fire Force Officer could not aptly demystify the difference between office equipment and computers, lubricant and oil, on which a chunk of its allocation was expended.

The Committee described such as ‘duplicative expenditures’ geared towards misappropriating public funds which if not addressed could lead to more fraud and other irregularities.
The Chief Fire Force Officer could not also explicate the Committee’s query on the colossal amounts of money expended on computer maintenance in 2018 and another proposal for the procurement of five new computers, one projector and two laptops.

His effort to free himself from the discomfiture was dispelled by the Committee, especially when he failed to accurately link the Authority’s Mission and Vision to his expenditure pattern.
Speaking on the donations received by the Authority, the Chief Fire Force Officer informed the Committee that the Authority received a used fire engine from the Government of Germany in 2017, which according to him would be used to fight fire outbreaks and rescue activities.

For 2019 FY, the Authority made a budget submission of Le21,707,800,000 with the same amount as budget ceiling, but was allocated the sum of Le17,760,925,300.
According to the Chief Fire Force Officer, the decrease would affect trainings and provision of fuel which he said was an essential ingredient in the fire service delivery and construct fire stations across the country.
Asked to state the challenges that could militate against the implementation of the Authority’s planned activities in 2019, the Chief Fire Force Officer highlighted the following: 60  Delays by the Ministry of Finance to pay contractors and suppliers on time would negatively affect the relationship between the Authority and the suppliers or the contractors;  Non-approval for the recruitment of one hundred [100] fire fighters whom the Fire Force Officer said had already undergone some trainings; and  Lack of funds to maintain fire engines which the Chief Fire Force Officer said the Ministry of Finance failed to disburse the sum of Le46,560,000 in 2018 that the Authority committed for the maintenance of those engines.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, answering to the Committee’s query on the Authority’s determination to swiftly respond to fire accidents in other parts of the country, the Chief Fire Officer stated that construction of fire force facilities across the country had begun and when completed the Authority would be in a better position to respond to infernos as soon as possible.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee would like to inform this House that the Authority failed to present documents relating to the procurement of rice for the officers of that Institution.

Besides, the Le592,200,000 increase for 2019, the Committee was of the view that the Authority has not been provided with adequate resources to respond to fire outbreaks.
Thus, the Committee recommends the following:  Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs looks into the Authority’s procurement activities and the bottleneck between it and the Ministry of Finance; and  The Authority’s 2019 allocation be approved, whilst considering supplementary budget to enable it pays the backlog salaries of one hundred fire fighters who have already been trained and recruits more fire fighters for the regional offices.
106-01: PRESIDENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE 61 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, Section 61 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone states “The President may constitute offices for Sierra Leone, make appointments to any such office and terminate any such appointment.” The Presidential Infrastructural Initiative is one of such offices created under the above mentioned constitutional provision.
In May, 2018 with the overarching objective of transforming the infrastructural landscape of Sierra Leone through planning, designing and implementing strategic and transformative projects.

His Excellency’s ‘New Direction’ agenda aimed [as stated in the ruling party’s manifesto] to radically transform the country within five years through integrated infrastructure and cross sectorial development projects that will lead to sustainable job creation, skills development, trainings and industrialisation.
In response to questions during the Committee’s engagement with officials of this office, they disclosed the following:  Such development model had been used by other countries like Egypt, Algeria, Kenya, Senegal, and Rwanda amongst others under the African Union [AU] coordinated by the New Partnership for Africa Development [NEPAD] Agency;  This Office would unlock Private Sector Funding and non-traditional funding using innovative mechanisms through projects implementation;  They would augment the work of MDA’s whose statutory mandates and budgets are limited and restricted in terms of major projects implementation; and  They would embark not only on buildings and roads construction, but even building partnership and seeking funds for the construction of major bridges such as the Lungi Bridge and the recently commissioned Juba-Goderich Road Bridge.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee unanimously supported this initiative, but expressed that the 2019 allocation to the tune of Le900,000,000 needs to be increased in succeeding years following the proper evaluation of the Office in the coming years.

110-01: NATIONAL ASSETS AND GOVERNMENT PROPERTY COMMISSION Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the National Assets Commission was established by an Act of Parliament to control and identify all Government assets in and out of the 62 country.
The Commission is also expected to monitor the users of these assets to ensure sustainability.

For 2017 and 2018 FYs, this Commission was allocated the sums of Le927,600,000 and Le1,208,653,400 respectively which the Committee considered yielding no desired results based on the mandate for which the Commission was established.
The Committee noted the following:  That since its establishment, the Commission could not provide the Committee its strategic plan of activities for which funding was needed; and  That the 2018 budget registered a 31% upsurge over 2017 budgetary allocation of Le927,600,000, but the expenditure patterns for both years under discussion were not dissimilar.
For instance, the total expenditure in 2017 and 2018 were Le927,600,000 and Le714,000,000 respectively with escalating figures on: Table 3: Expenditure Patterns for 2017 and 2018 FYs Item Fuel and Oil 2018 FY 2017 FY 80,360,000 81,952,000 Office and building maintenance 46,766,000 - Sundry items 20,000,000 20,297,750 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee did not see any activity on assets mapping and register which is supposed to be one cardinal responsibility of this Commission.
However, with its compliance to the STA as in Section 47 of the Public Financial Management [PFM] Act of 2016, coupled with its 2018 Confiscated Assets and Impress Accounts balance, the Committee recommends that:  The 2019 allocation of Le1,087,812,600 is adequate, considering its passive response to major statutory activities; and 63  The Committees on Works and Transparency further probe into the activities of this Commission especially on the mapping and registration of Government assets.
124-05: JUSTICE SECTOR COORDINATION OFFICE [JSCO] Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Justice Sector Coordination Office was established in June, 2007 by the Government of Sierra Leone to reform the justice delivery institutions as a means of strengthening democratic good governance.

In a nutshell, this office addresses the challenges of justice system through reform initiative process and systems that should be effectively coordinated across various departments and agencies.
It therefore utilises both Government and donor funds through projects and other engagements.

During scrutiny, the Committee noted the following:  In 2018 the Government of Sierra Leone approved budget for this Sector was Le1,249,000,000, but only received Le216,200,000 for the third and fourth quarters with no receipt of quarters 1 and 2.

The expenditure for the year under review was Le294,643,405 with a 36% deficit on actual receipt.
The Government of Sierra Leone budget was expended on travels and office support; Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, that in both 2017 and 2018, this Sector utilised donor funding on various activities from various sources as tabulated below: Table 4: Donor funds utilised in 2017 and 2018 FYs Donor Project 2017 2018 UNDP Judicial and Legal Training - 207,825,000 UNDP Improving the Rule of Law in Sierra Leone - 921,800,000 OSIWA Legal Empowerment Project 589,293,000 - OSIWA Partner Platform Project 317,126,000 150,462,375 64 OSIWA Inmate Identification System 288,104,000 234,729,950 UNDP Justice and Security Sector Project 93,010,000 - UNICEF Child Justice Project 165,675,000 112,630,000 SAVE THE Child Justice Project 36,000,000 4,000,000 CHILDREN TOTAL 1,789,208,000 1,631,447,325  The initial alleged evasion of withholding tax payment of Le19,000,000 to the National Revenue Authority [NRA] was heavily condemned by the Committee, but was later rectified by authentic documents of payment after this Office was stood down for a day; and  The Committee could not comprehend wholly the actual role of this sector and could not also measure its successes because of its failure to present an up to date strategic plan to the Committee and sending its annual report on activities to Parliament for the past years.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, with the above, coupled with the prevailing malaise in the legal and justice system’s strategic reforms in the rule of law, creating awareness on gender and human rights issues and encourage the legal institutions to collaborate and accelerate court proceedings would largely contribute to the overall improvement in our justice system.
In that regard, the Committee recommends that the Le605,742,400 allocation to this Sector for the 2019 activities is inadequate, but requests that a thorough strategic plan be produced before granting supplementary budget in the event of donor fatigue.
409-01: SIERRA LEONE STANDARDS BUREAU [SLSB] Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau [SLSB] was created by the Standards Act No.2 of 1996, with the responsibility of coordinating 65 standardisation and quality management activities in Sierra Leone.

SLSB is also mandated by the Weight and Measures Act No.5 of 2010 to authorise and validate the use of metric system of measurement in the entire country.
In 2018 FY, the SLSB received from the Government of Sierra Leone regular budget the sum of Le3,875,811,213.06 including subvention and development allocations of Le926,700,000.00 and salary grant of Le2,949,111,213.06 and expended a total of Le5,110,092,027.48 in 2018, registering 32% above its budgetary receipt.
The Committee noted from the review of the filled questionnaire the following: Table 5: SLSB collected revenue Year Target Actual source Amount 2017 4,246,000,000 3,576,161,447 669,838,553 [15.8%] 2018 4,550,000,000,00 1,367,263,402.64 3,182,736,598 [69.9%] Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the above revenue target was not met because of the following reasons:  The Bureau charged low percentage fee for services provided;  The Ministry of Finance reduced the percentage allocation of D1 Fund from 0.15% to 0.07% which affected the procurement of logistics and other administrative charges;  The SLSB is complying with the TSA and other pieces of evidence were adduced;  Its operations were still limited to the capital city whilst most border entry points were left and those points are prone to the entry of expired and sub-standard products; and  The withholding tax payable to the NRA was due which the Committee said was an evasion and must be adhered to.
Owing to its strategic importance in the trade and health sectors, the SLSB deserves special attention with regards strengthening its powers through statutory instrument 66 and finance to protect the lives of Sierra Leoneans from sub-standard products.

In that regard, the Committee recommends that:  The initial amount fee of 0.15% payable to the SLSB be met by the Ministry of Finance; and  The Le 3,444,701,400 allocation for 2019 is fairly adequate considering the Bureau’s revenue generation potential.
409-04: SIERRA LEONE PRODUCE MARKETING COMPANY Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Company [SLPMC] replaced the former Sierra Leone Producing Marketing Board [SLPMB] in 2009 after the Civil War when the SLPMB products buying and growing areas were completely devastated with no production for over six years.

In 2009, the SLPMC was incorporated by an Act of Parliament as a fully owned Government entity supervised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
It became fully operational in 2012 with its Board of Directors appointed and paid by Government.
During the Committee’s hearing, the leadership of this sub-committee was informed through a written correspondence signed by the Managing Director to the membership highlighted the following:  That the SLPMC had no interest in receiving subventions from Government ‘not a show of self-sufficiency,’ but it is because the Company was on drive to attain a Public Limited Company Status that will attract 49% Private Sector Investment and 51% Government equity shares.
 Taking the allocated subvention would as the correspondence from the Managing Director of the SLPMC stated on the 22nd November, 2018, scare Private Sector Investors and limit accesses to bank loans and advances.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, with the above, coupled with the failure of the Managing Director and team to appear before the Committee, the Committee recommends that the 2019 budgetary allocation of Le518,362,600 be put on hold by 67 the Ministry of Finance until due procedures of transformation is clearly understood by Government.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I even have a written document sent to this Committee by the SLPMC to ascertain the fact I am saying here.

Thank you.
Thank you.

THE CHAIRMAN: I would be also interested to know precisely the reasons given by the Managing Director for failing to appear.

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: With that Mr Chairman, with your leave let me read the letter written for the benefit of all the Members.
Dear Sir/Madam, REVIEW OF RECURRENT AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATE BUDGET FOR FY 2018 With reference to your circular reference: PoSL/05/08/031 dated 6th November, 2018, relating to the above subject, I wish to inform you that since 2015, SLPMC decided against receiving subventions as our current governance structure does not allow for such arrangements since it will complicated in accounted for in our financials.
Sir, please permit me to provide you some insight into the current governance structure of the company.

Since its inception in 2009, SLPMC was incorporated as a private company with 100% owned by the government of Sierra Leone supervised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The company became fully operation in 2012 with Board of Directors appointed by Government now dissolved and in the process of being reconstituted and a substantive management team constituted for the daily operations.
The current governance structure of the company has limited its ability of attracting private sector investors and at the same time its inability to access bank loans and advances, this has therefore, necessitated the current drive for the capitalising from private to public limited company with Government having 51% equal shares and private 49%.

This, it is hoped will make the SLPMC more attractive to trade in overall produce market in Sierra Leone.
At this point, I would like to reiterate that our stand against receiving subvention is by no means a show of self-sufficiency, but rather a 68 deliberate cooperate strategy that will provide opportunity for the company to raise adequate trading capital through private financing.

While we look forward to a mutual cooperation please accept sir, the assurance of our highest consideration.
Yours faithfully, Henry Yamba Kamara Managing Director THE CHAIRMAN: Did you ascertain whether this company’s Board has been properly reconstituted?

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Pardon.

THE CHAIRMAN: The company’s Board, if I am not mistaken, I recall Parliament approving the nomination for the position of Chairman of the Board.

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Mr Chairman, in this direction unless you have to intervene.

I have less here on this to give you an answer to it.

THE CHAIRMAN: Okay!

Let us proceed.

HON.


ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, what we did was to send a circular to this particular man that sent us this letter.

We asked him to come to Parliament to see the Committee so that he can explain to us because we have an information that there is an SLPMB board that is functioning and working in close collaboration with the company.
We telephoned him, we told him that the phone is on loud speaker and he said; ‘‘I am not coming because we are not interested.’’ We did called him again the day before yesterday that was on Monday before the Committee finally took this decision, but you being the Leader of this House maybe you have something to say with regards to our decision.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Chairman, like my colleague on the other side of the aisle was saying, I think it is an affront to Parliament.
Whether you are interested or not in any issues, it is your duty to come to Parliament whenever you are invited.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I want to suggest that this House summon the 69 General Manager not because he is not interested in the budget, but because he refused to answer to the call of Parliament.

Thank you very much.

THE CHAIRMAN: Honourable Chief Whip, would you kindly come forward please?

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Yes Sir, THE CHAIRMAN: You want to take the Floor?

HON.
HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Yes, just an observation Sir.

THE CHAIRMAN: Yes.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: I thank you very much Mr Speaker.
Based on the concern raised by Committee 3 regarding this particular MDA; the SLPMC, I am suggesting that we give him an opportunity for him to explain to the whole House through your leadership, but at the same time his seeming contempt should not be an interruption to our own smooth flow of this budget process for instance, by calling him tomorrow to interrupt the smooth flow of the Committee Report that we are supposed to follow tomorrow, I think that would be injustice to the other MDAs who complied.
So, we can wait until when we are complete with the entire budget process and then we summon him, we should not interrupt this Proceedings.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, secondly, if Mr Speaker had ruled before that during the debates every MDA is supposed to be here then I think in my opinion, it is more so important now than even during the debate because this is the Report of what transpired between the Committees and the relevant MDAs.
So, it is possible that what was reported was not what transpired so they should be here, the Report is more important because whatever we say here is final.

So being that final decision, they should be here because there are other discussions that will follow.

If they are here they would be at a better position to defend themselves or to seek other redress.

That is my suggestion Sir.

THE CHAIRMAN: I thank Honourable Members for your comments and observations on this.
We shall proceed with the Report, but we are going to take special note of the recommendation as contained on page 18 in respect of the SLPMC.

When it comes to the final approval, we are going to take special note of this recommendation and we would take a decision on it accordingly.

Proceed.

70 HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Thank you very much Mr Chairman.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Yes Mr Chairman, THE CHAIRMAN: You still want to open up this matter?

HON.
HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: I just want to make a contribution on it Sir.

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Honourable Member, I have the Floor.

THE CHAIRMAN: Let us allow him if he is clarifying the situation.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Mr Speaker, further to what my colleague and yourself have just said on this particular Report, let us don’t deal with anything relating to this in terms of their budgetary requirements or whatever, until [Interruption].

THE CHAIRMAN: That is what I am saying.


If you look at the recommendation; the paragraph in bold letters, we are taking note of that paragraph in dealing with the Report.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Thank you.

THE CHAIRMAN: When we finally finish, we would know what to do with it.

Proceed.

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Thank you very much Mr Chairman.


308 -00: NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL ACTION [NaCSA] Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the National Commission for Social Action [NaCSA] was established by an Act of Parliament in 2001 to promote community based demand driven and sustainable development activities leading to the alleviation of property as contained in Part 3 Section 2 Sub-Section 1 of the Act mentioned above.
As poverty still remains pervasive in Sierra Leone, this Commission if properly empowered would be one of the vehicles through which the Social Protection Progressive Supported by both donors and Government as highlighted in the 2019 budget – Cluster One [Human Capital Development] could be realised.
The National Commission for Social Action through its evaluation from peace building agent in charge of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration in 1992 to its current state has always been the national agent at the fore in the fight against poverty 71 in the areas of community development, livelihood development and social protection.

It has over the years implemented to its credit multi-donor project funds from World Bank [WB], Islamic Development Bank, UNHCR and others.
In 2017 and 2018 NaCSA FYs, NaCSA received from the Government of Sierra Leone Le3.3 bln and Le3.73bln out of a little over Le61.6bln for the two years under review.

The Committee observed that the shortfall in the budget affected a range of programmes implementation and counterpart funding that limited training of MDAs on harmonised targeting, servicing of beneficiaries through cash transfer, etc.

However, the Commission received the following Donor supports that cushioned the regular budgetary drought.
Table 6: Donor Usage Report Bank Donor World [WB] IDB GPC II UNHCR Project Total 2017 2018 Cash vulnerable and poor household transfer to extremely 4.3 2.29 6,72 Community Infrastructural Projects 1.18 2.33 0.11 8.05 0.85 0.36 0.09 3.59 2.03 2.69 0.20 1.64 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, based on the foregoing, the Committee observed the following:  Donor fund utilisation was strictly based on the agreement signed with donors on the establishment of project accounts of each project into which moneys are transferred directly without recourse to the Consolidated Revenue Fund [CRF];  The Commission was a non-revenue generation entity, but was able to raise the sum of Le470.59mln from the sales of old and derelict vehicles in 2017 and Le116.28mln in 2018.
The Commission submitted evidence of payment to the CRF; 72  The multiple contracts awarded for the construction or rehabilitation of roads, Green Stores, etc.

raised many questions regarding needs assessments and processes of awarding contracts, vis-à-vis due procurement procedures; and  Most NaCSA constructed structures are not usable and abandoned tantamount to a whole deal of wastage of both donor and Government moneys.
 Based on the strategic role NaCSA has in promoting the consolidation of human capital within deprived communities in the country, the Committee recommends that the Le1,612,301,400 is inadequate and that NaCSA be granted a supplementary budget, especially for projects that demand huge counterpart funding; and  The Committee on Transparency and Accountability looks into the various contracts executed by NaCSA in 2017 and 2018 in order to ascertain value for both Government and donor moneys.
417-00: NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION AUTHORITY Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority as stated in Section 5[1] of the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority Act of 2012 was established to regulate, control and supervise the acquisition, importation, exportation, use and disposal of radioactive substances and devices emitting ionising radiation.
In 2018 FY, this Authority was allocated the sum of Le2,226,600,000 by the Ministry of Finance, but it was however observed that the Authority received Le589,600,000.

Questioned on the impacts of the decrease, the Accountant revealed that the decrease affected the Authority’s ability to pay rent for the Regional Offices, operationalising the food monitoring Lab at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay and a number of inspection activities.
Further probing questions into the Authority’s 2018 expenditure revealed that the allocation was expended on local and international travels, procurement of tools and laboratory items, office accommodation, fuel and lubricants, trainings, vehicle maintenance, consultancy, etc.
73 Speaking on the 20,000 Euro received by the Authority as donor funds, the Accountant disclosed that the money was expended on the procurement of radiation monitoring and detection equipment, and provision of training by International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] for the technical staff of the Authority.
Asked to brief the Committee whether the donor fund was reported to Parliament as stated in Section 118 Sub-Section 7 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, the Accountant stated that the said amount was not directly paid into the Authority’s account, stating that the donor Agency procured the radiation equipment and paid per diems and return tickets for staff trainings.
The Committee maintained that the equipment were donated to the Authority on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone; and as such, those donations should have been reported to Parliament before utilisation.

The Committee also observed from the review of the Appropriation filled questionnaire that the Authority collected Le60, 000,000 out of a revenue target of Le80, 000, 000 from licensing of radiation facilities and pre-shipment scanning of mineral ores in 2018.
Asked to provide answer [s] why the Authority failed to meet its revenue target, the Accountant disclosed that it was due to the drop in the activities of the mining companies in the country and the drastic reduction in the number of inspection of medical and industrial facilities due to lack of logistics like utility vehicles.
Tracking the Authority’s compliance level with the Treasury Single Account, the Committee observed that all licensing fees were collected by the National Revenue Authority [NRA] and paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund [CRF].

Though the Committee noted an increase of Le40,000,000 in 2018 as compared to 2017 in revenue collection, the Committee advised the team to improve on their revenue collection strategies.
A cross examination of the filled questionnaire presented to this Committee revealed that the Authority’s public debt during the period under review amounted to Le316,000,000 as rent for the various offices in Freetown, Bo and Makeni.

The Committee also observed that the Authority owed the sums of $20,250 and 1,331 Euro for membership subscription to the IAEA and Contribution to Africa Regional 74 Agreement for Science and Technology [AFRA] Fund.
Speaking on the Authority’s proposed debt payment plan, the Accountant informed the Committee that 50% payment as rent for each office would be made from the 1st and 2nd allocations, and that membership subscription to the IAEA is expected to be made by the Ministry of Finance in the 1st half of 2019.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, for 2019 FY, this Authority submitted an original budget of Le4,011,000,000, but was allocated Le3,293,953,100 for both recurrent and development estimates which the Committee viewed as adequate.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, thus, the Committee recommends that:  All donations and grants be disclosed to Parliament as spelt out in Section 118 Sub-Section 7 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone;  The Government should support the Authority to enforce action against defaulters and provide logistics to enhance inspection activities;  The Authority should consider food stuff monitoring for radioactive contamination and licensing on ionising radiation as alternative for revenue generation;  The Parliamentary Committee on Finance takes a critical evaluation of how donor and government moneys were expended; and  The 2019 allocation for the Authority be approved by this House.
110-09: INDEPENDENT MEDIA COMMISSION [IMC] Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Independent Media Commission [IMC] was established by an Act of Parliament in 2000.

The Act as amended in 2006 and 2007 gears towards regulating the media landscape of the country.

Its primary aim is to ensure a free and pluralistic media throughout the country.
The Act further states that ‘it shall be the function of the Commission to advise the Minister of Information and Communications on media policy formulation and development and ensure that every person shall have irrespective of that person’s race, colour or sex, language, religion, 75 political or other opinion, national ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status, access to fair coverage in the broadcast media.’ For the period under review, the Commission submitted an original budget of Le692,400,000mln to the Ministry of Finance, but received Le452,000,000mln as at September, 2018.
This amount was expended on the day to day running of the office, monitoring the activities of media houses and other charges.

It was also observed that this Commission generated Le647,051,360mln beyond a revenue target of Le250,000,000mln from the sales of Application Forms, Renewal of Telecommunication Licenses, Renewal of Newspaper and Radio Licenses, Fines, Internet Café and Processing Fees.
Reacting to the Committee’s follow-up question as to why the Commission was able to exceed revenue target in 2018, the Vote Controller attributed that to the new methods and innovations employed to collect outstanding debts.

Further probing questions revealed that all revenue collected had been remitted into the CRF, referencing the letter from the Accountant General’s Department asking the IMC in particular to open sub-vented Agencies Accounts under the TSA System.
The letter was presented to the Committee for inspection and the Committee applauded the team for exceeding revenue target and complying with the TSA Accounts.

For 2019 FY, the Commission made an original budget submission of Le1,307,000,000 with a budget ceiling of Le767,200,000, but was allocated the sum of Le 578,710,400.
According to the Vote Controller, the decrease would affect:  The conduct of seminars/workshops on multiple media oversight;  Monitoring of media institutions;  Training and payment of stipends to monitors; and  Administrative costs; etc.

Reacting to the Committee’s query on the challenges confronting this Commission, the Accountant stated that there had been no provision for court cases and lack of sitting accommodation.
76 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, in respect of the above therefore, the Committee recommends that:   A supplementary budget provision be considered for this Commission to enable it functions effectively; and The Ministry of Information and Communications works towards reviewing the IMC Act and Code of Practice, so as to enable it raise more revenue.
209 -00: CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY UNIT Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Central Intelligence and Security Unit [CISU] was created by Section 11 Sub-Section 1 of the National Security and Central Intelligence Act of 2002 to serve Sierra Leone’s domestic and foreign intelligence and security service.
As it mandate, the Central Intelligence and Security Unit is responsible to:  Collect and assess intelligence that may constitute threats against the security of Sierra Leone, both internal and external;  Protect the State against threats of espionage, terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and other serious crimes;  Protect the State of Sierra Leone’s economic interest against internal and external threats; and  Protect the State against the activities of persons intending to overthrow the democratically elected government of Sierra Leone.
This Department has been an appendage of the Office of National Security [ONS] for the past years.

However, the Director General disclosed to the Committee that through the intervention of the erstwhile President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, the budget for this Unit be delinked from the ONS for effective service delivery.
In 2018 FY, the Central Intelligence and Security Unit was allocated the sum of Le1,743,768,525.00bln by the Ministry of Finance, but received Le5,544,953,098bln for recurrent expenditure which was above the budget ceiling.

77 Out of the said amount, CISU expended Le5,516,222,981bln on State security activities; vis-à-vis domestic and foreign intelligence operations.

The Director-General informed the Committee that the balance had already been expended on various uncompleted programmes.
For 2019 FY, the Central Intelligence and Security Unit made a budget submission of Le8,322,700,000bln to the Ministry of Finance, but was allocated the sum of Le6,277,586,600bln.

The Vote Controller informed the Committee that the decrease would affect the implementation of the following programmes:  Expansion of provincial stations and sub-regional operations;  Capacity building; and  Technical intelligence capacity.
Mr Chairman, considering the importance of this Office in terms of regional and global security threats, the Committee recommends for a supplementary budget provision for better coordination of national security.
305-05: NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CHILDREN [NCC] Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the National Commission for Children [NCC] was established by an Act of Parliament with a statutory mandate to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the Convention on the rights of children and the African Charter on the rights and welfare of children in order to oversee the implementation of Part III of the Child Rights Act of 2007.
It advises Government on policies and aimed at improving the condition and welfare of children in Sierra Leone compatible with the Convention and the Charter.

The NCC has a mission to protect and promote children’s rights and welfare through coordination, collaboration and monitoring of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Its work is guided by the following core principles: 78 THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD: The best interest of the child shall be the paramount consideration in all decisions affecting children.

PROFESSIONALISM: Maximisation of quality delivery of services in the execution of its duties; maintenance of the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability underpin our work.

NCC is committed to achieving high standards of quality in its work for children.
COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP: Significant among its strategic approaches is the ability to cooperate with local, national and international partners to preserve the rights of children and provide them with opportunities to develop their fullest potential.

It considers the establishment of sound partnership and strong collaboration as pivotal to meeting the objectives of the Commission.
EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY ACTIONS: The work of the NCC is grounded in an evidence- based approach to policy development and review.

Thus, the Commission will focus on understanding the situation of children and assessing the impact and effectiveness of child rights initiatives, identifying gaps, best practices and challenges, essentially to inform policies on child rights issues.
Mr Chairman Honourable Members, for the 2017 and 2018 FYs, the National Children’s Commission received the following from: Table 7[a] Government Subventions and Donor Year 2017 2018 Total Amount 908,600,000 600,000,000 1,508,600,000 79 Table 7[b] Donor Supports Funds SCI UNICEF 119,200,000 180,130,000 CHILD FUND 11,895,000 SCI UNICEF TOTAL 20,000,000 36,325,000 367,550,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, with the foregone, the Committee during interrogation with the Vote Controller noted the following:  The Commission works in accordance with annual strategic plan of actions to collaborate with other child welfare organisations, but its activities do not require implementation but proffer advice and monitoring on the implementation of child related projects;  The widespread of abuse and inhumane treatments of children below 18 could be partly attributed to the non-presence of children monitoring personnel at chiefdoms and regional levels, NCC personnel are only based in Freetown;  The team could not clearly distinguish in their report, what projects donor funds and Government’s regular budgets were specifically spent;  No bank statements of the Commission activities were reported;  The Commission reported activities on child labour, child marriage, child welfare, quality education and teenage pregnancy;  No specific details and cost analyses on the achievements were reported to the Committee; and  The Board of Directors were receiving salaries as well as sitting fees, which the Committee regarded as abnormal.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, with this, the Committee recommends that: 80  The 2019 budget of Le2,109,920,900bln be approved, whilst considering a supplementary budget provision to enhance the establishment of regional offices and the recruitment of additional staff; and  The particular section in the Act that allows Members of the Board to receive salaries and at the same time sitting fees be amended in accordance with other Acts.
407-00: MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security is responsible for formulating and coordinating national labour policies with the view of enhancing compliance, job security and protection of employees and employers interest in the labour market.

For the year under review, out of Le990,687,863mln received from the regular budget, the Committee noticed unsatisfactory expenditure, resonating huge sums on both the 2017 and 2018 FYs.
For instance, the Committee reviewed two imprest accounts and discovered that the sums of Le164,125,000mln and Le464, 000,000mln were expended on office and general in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The Committee further noted that Le413,500,000mln and Le370,800,000mln were expended on Strengthening Legal and Institutional Framework in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The Committee expressed great dissatisfaction, but cautioned the Vote Controller to provide a breakdown of the above expended budget heads.
Mr Chairman, speaking on the various contracts awarded to support the offices, the Committee noted that the Ministry was in arrears to the tune of Le877,550,000mln out of which a payment totalling Le381,500,000mln for completed contracts was really pressing, though the procurement process could not be fully ascertained at that short period before the Committee.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security generated a total Le2,854,158,100bln far below its revenue target of Le12.6bln.

81 The Permanent Secretary [PS] disclosed that the Ministry’s raises its revenue from the sales of work permit by Foreign Nationals and fees from the inspection of plants and machineries.

The Committee observed that all moneys were paid directly into the Consolidated Revenue Fund [CRF].
Commenting on the reasons for not meeting its revenue target, the PS said the untimely release of their allocations by the Ministry of Finance derailed the implementation of their programmes.

For 2019 FY, the Ministry of Finance allocated the sum of Le 7,191,234,000, which the Vote Controller said if approved, would solve some challenges the Ministry has been facing.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, based on the above, the Committee recommends that:   The 2019 budget for this Ministry be approved; The Work Permit and Factory Inspectorate Department should be capacitated with mobility and modern equipment for inspection and effective monitoring; and  The Ministry should work towards strengthening the Legal Framework with threatening powers to discourage defaulters.
305-03: NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011 with the core mandate to:  Formulate and develop measures in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare, designed to achieve equal opportunities for persons with disability;  Cooperate with Government during every national census to ensure that accurate figures of persons with disabilities are obtained in the country;  Recommend measures to prevent discrimination against persons with disabilities; 82  Inquire into its own on complaint by any person, any allegation of discrimination against a person with disability;  Support and secure the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities within their own communities; and  Register and main a database of persons with disabilities and a database of institutions, organisations and associations, both public and private that provide services for the rehabilitation and welfare of persons with disabilities.
For 2018 FY, this Commission received Le290,000,000mln which the Committee noted was thrice below its budget submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

It was however revealed from the review of the questionnaire that the Commission expended Le1,293,219,329bln on repairs and maintenance of vehicles and equipment, local and external travels, furniture, office stationery and utilities, office rent, etc.
The Committee learnt from the Executive Secretary that the Le1,086,200,000bln was a rollover in 2018, stating that the Commission did not receive its allocation in 2017 as budgeted.
The Committee further noted that this Commission received Le10,000,000mln from Family Kingdom, two desktop computers and tables from DST, two laptop computers from Handicap International, and two tables, two swivel chairs, two printers and stationeries from Sight Savers to support setting up another office space after the Commission’s Office was burnt down.

For 2019 FY, this Commission made a budget submission of Le5,049,320,000bln, but was however given a budget ceiling of Le3,450,500,000bln.
The Committee further discovered that this Commission’s actual allocation for 2019 was Le2,602,644,500bln registering a Le2,446,675,500bln decrease which according to the Executive Secretary; the decrease would affect the implementation of the Commission’s set objectives.
The Committee was not pleased after the Management team failed to present a comprehensive database and programmes implemented for persons with disabilities and institutions or organisations, both public and private that provide services for the 83 rehabilitation and welfare of persons with disabilities in the country.
In fact, the Executive Secretary could not also provide a clear road map on the Commission’s plans in terms of providing suitable and affordable housing for persons with disabilities [as provided for in Section of the said Act], especially those littering on the streets, asking for alms.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, due to the unhealthy relationship between this Commission and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs over the years, the Committee recommends that:    The parliamentary Committees on Transparency and Finance inquire into how this Commission utilised its funds; The Commission should work towards achieving its core functions, as enumerated in Section 6[2] of the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2011; and Payment for work permit should be done directly into the CRF and documents issued, instead of attestation letters.
314-00: NATIONAL HIV/AIDS COMMISSION Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the National HIV/AIDS Commission was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011.
This Commission as stated in Section 4[2] of the National HIV/AIDS Commission Act of 2011 is responsible to:  Formulate policies for the prevention, control, management and treatment of HIV and AIDS;  Identify obstacles to the implementation of HIV and AIDS control policies and programmes and ensure the implementation and attainment of programme activities;  Mobilise, expedite and monitor resources for the control of HIV and AIDS; and  Foster partnership with nation and international development partners and the private sector for the effective implementation of HIV and AIDS interventions.
84 In 2018 FY, this Commission received Le500,000,000mln from the Government of Sierra Leone.

According to the Vote Controller, the said amount was used to procure office equipment, maintenance of vehicles, etc.

Asked to explain areas affected by the decrease, the Vote Controller stated that the decrease affected daily operational expenses, laboratory monitoring of PLHIV on ART and community orientation on stigma and discrimination amongst PLHIV/EVD Survivors.
The Committee further noted from the review of the questionnaire that this Commission received $857,000.06 from the Global Fund SAP Project, $6,775,155.50 from Global Fund PCR Project and 366,743.15 Euro from KFW German Development Bank Project in 2018.
The Vote Controller disclosed that the funds were intended to cover areas like Human Resource, Technical Assistance, Trainings, Procurement of Health Products and Health Equipment, Monitoring and Evaluation, Communication Materials, Living Supports to clients, Planning and Administration, Health System Strengthening, Care and Support to People living with HIV/AIDS, Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
For 2019 FY, this Commission submitted a budget of Le3,507,994,500bln to the Ministry of Finance with the same budget ceiling and actual allocation.

The Committee viewed this allocation as adequate and therefore recommends for its approval.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, while the Committee rated Management’s presentation as satisfactory, the Committee called on:  The Ministry of Finance to release this Commission’s counterpart funding for the period under review;  The Commission on its next appearance to any parliamentary Committee, provide an Asset Register; and  The parliamentary Committees on Finance and Transparency probe into this Commission’s finances.
416-00: SIERRA LEONE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY [SLCAA] 85 The Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority was established by the Civil Aviation Act, 2008 to provide independent professional oversight of international and domestic air transports and cargo services in compliance with international agreements and obligations relating to Civil Aviation.
Prior to the establishment of this important institution by the late President, Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabba of the SLPP Government, the Civil Aviation was a small Department governed by the obsolete Colonial Act of 1966, whose provisions did not meet the current trend of the industry.

Its global monitoring and supervisory body is the International Civil Aviation Organisation [ICAO] which regulates and conducts mandatory Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programmes [USOAP].
The USOAP evaluates critical elements relating to safety concerns of Aerodromes and Aircrafts.
The SLCAA is therefore responsible to:  License and regulate Civil Aviation in accordance with the obligations of Sierra Leone, under the applicable international agreements, so as to meet the international and domestic demands for air transportation and air cargo services, including oversight in the provision, operation and maintenance of aerodromes and related facilities for Aviation, and to advice Government on the efficient development of the Aviation Industry;  Promote and develop safety in Aviation, including oversight in aircraft operation, air navigation facilities and air traffic control, meteorological services and facilities to combat hazard to air navigation;  License and register aircraft and ensuring safety of air navigation;  Regulating air transport, and coordinate search and rescue operations; and  Certifying and regulate the operations of air travel agents, etc.
Although the Act was passed in 2008, SLCAA only had an operational budgetary allocation in 2010.

A critical review of Section 20, Sub-Section 1 of the SLCAA Act of 2008 revealed two main sources of funding for the Authority; vis-à-vis, moneys appropriated by Parliament and fees accrued from the grant of travel and organisers license.

There are also Air transport license, calibration of navigational aids where 86 applicable, personnel licenses.
Air transport licenses, personnel licenses and calibration of navigational aids where applicable.

About 70% of the air ticket and cargo sales charge [currently collected by the NRA], Aircraft registration and certification, certificate of airworthiness [issuance and renewal], rentage of property, plants and equipment where applicable, medical examination fees where applicable, sale of information and publications and contract registration fees.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, a review of the questionnaire disclosed that the SLCAA received Le7,277,669,481bln including a salary grant of Le2,790,404,796bln in 2017 and Le712,096,275mln in 2018 respectively Furthermore, in 2018, SLCAA collected the following revenue: Table 8: Revenue Collected in 2018 Source Operational Cost Amount 429,300,000 Sierra Leone Airports Authority [SLAA] 150,000,000 License fees Foreign Travel Tax Others S N Brussels K L M Royal Air Maroc Kenya Airways Air France Asky Airlines Air Peace Africa World Airline 16,000,000 169,626,203 9,500,000 3,288,777,502 2,002,283,501 1,452,002,498 1,919,787,000 1,013,482,845 120,449,948 421,474,698 22,356,090 87 Turkish Airline Air Mauritania Roberts Flight Total 140,893,855 63,982,597 22,801,641 11,446,718,378 Apart from the sources highlighted in the table above, Section 1 of the SLCAA Act, 2008 has other sources of funds as mentioned earlier.
The SLCAA expended Le40,000,000 on office rent, Le226,860,020 on overseas trainings, Le131,295,000 on local trainings and Le152,945,425 on computers and consumables.

With regards foreign debts, the SLCAA was found indebted to the following: International Civil Aviation Organisation [ICAO] Le 1,006,760,000; Banjul Accord Group [BAG] Le 67,000,000; and Africa Civil Aviation Commission [AFCAC] Le 2,197,324,200.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, irrespective of the enactment of the Act of the 2017 SLCAA Act, its revenue generation potential is still a problem if it does not train the necessary human potentials for various fields to collect taxes from the various sources mentioned earlier.

From those revenue figures, it was clear that in 2015, Government urged the SLCAA to transfer the Foreign Travel Tax to their own account instead of requesting from Government for operational cost.
This was conveyed to SLCAA through a letter with Ref: MF ADM 154/77/01 from the Financial Secretary’s Office, dated 2nd July, 2015.

In 2019, the new SLCAA Act of 2017 places the agency in a more autonomous situation, which if properly looked into, will constrain the Authority’s budget, especially meeting its international obligations and training programmes.
In this regard, the Authority’s 2019 allocation to the tune of Le1,830,818,200 will be fairly adequate if its revenue collection potential is enforced independent of the Sierra Leone Airports Authority.

88 406-00: MINISTRY OF ENERGY Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, under the ‘New Direction’ agenda, this Government prioritised energy policy objectives to ensure the provision of modern energy services for increased productivity, wealth creation and improve the quality of life for all Sierra Leoneans.
From all indications, it is undeniable that this policy has begun yielding the required results as evidenced by increased power generation through the comprehensive reform of the power sector, increased liberalisation of the sub-sectors, attracting private sector investments and putting in place effective monitoring mechanisms.
To achieve those reforms, this Parliament supported the Ministry to repeal the 1982 National Power Authority [NPA] Act that brought the Electricity Act of 2011 which unbundled the operations of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority [EDSA] and the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company [EGTC].
In order to attain a stable and diversified economic growth to consolidate the human capital development trajectory level, the Government of Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio has to build on the significant strides made by the former Government of Dr Ernest Bai Koroma to accelerate the rural solar electrifications through DFID sponsored projects, targeting all Chiefdom communities, Health Centres in the short term and extension to immediate communities in the long run.
Removing darkness from the capital city and major towns requires huge financial resources.

This is why the Ministry and its operational sectors continue to demand from both government and donor agencies to service their numerous projects.

In 2018 FY, the Ministry of Energy was allocated Le5,519,171,100 as recurrent and Le136,400,000,000 for development, but received Le1,781,205,143 for the former and Le21,857,408,987 for the latter which registered significant reductions of 86% and 84% respectively.
This huge contrast in the budgetary allocation affected the monitoring and evaluation of the energy projects, training programmes and maintenance of the solar lights amongst others.
89 Furthermore, the Ministry received donor funds to service and upgrade the following as shown in the table below: Table 9: Grants and Loans received by the Ministry from development partners 2017/18 Source Electricity Sector Amount [$] World Bank Energy Supply Utility Reform Project [ESURP] $10m executed & closed World Bank Energy Access Project [EAP] $ 16mln Closed IDB Project Re-enforcement & Extension of medium and $ 10.41mln [on-going] low voltage network in Freetown Area ECOWAS West Africa Power Pool [WAPP] for $ 21.8m [on-going] emergency electric supply in Sierra Leone TOTAL $ 58.21 Questioned on how the said funds were disbursed, the PS informed the Committee that those funds were usually managed by various donor representatives and released only after evaluation reports were presented.
When the Committee asked Management to highlight areas where those funds were expended, the PS explained that the funds were expended on the following projects:  Upgrading Freetown network; that is the installations and extension improved voltage network and the supply of prepayments meters and vending stations;  Rural electrification;  Re-enforcement and distribution of network;  Maintenance and purchase of spare parts for the generators at Kingtom and Black Hall Road; and  Supply of fuel and oil amongst others.
90 The PS explained that some of the said projects were still on going.

The Committee agreed with the PS, but advised Management that the executed projects needed to be fully reported to the Parliamentary Committee on Energy to ascertain value for donor money during their oversights where those projects were implemented.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the significant reduction in the Ministry’s budget by the Ministry of Finance was emphasised by the Vote Controller to have seriously affected their office administrations and the monitoring of their operational sectors which members noted with concern.

The Committee paid special attention on the activities of the EGTC and the EDSA.

The Committee questioned the Ministry why documents presented to it were silent on the activities of EDSA in particular.
The PS however gave a convoluted explanation that amounted to little more than a weak excuse to dodge the question, stating that EDSA had been privatised; and as a result, EDSA had not been sub-vented by Government.
He further claimed that “the Ministry was only overseeing EDSA’s operations and not its financial accounts.” The Committee dispelled the PS’ argument as untenable, affirming that “institutions like Maritime Administration and the National Tele-communication Commission [NATCOM] that are not regularly sub-vented by Government usually come to Parliament at the end of each financial year to give accounts of their operations.” Further research into the National Electricity Act, 2011 revealed that the PS of the Ministry is a member of Board of the Authority for EDSA, which should have made him more knowledgeable to report accordingly.
Having gone through the 2018 budget and the 2019 allocation of Le104,941,857,400 of this Ministry, the Committee recommends that:  As the “New Direction” caters for inclusive growth and Consolidated Human Capital Development, the electricity extension covers the Freetown mountain rural communities;  The Ministry of Energy should be providing quarterly report to Parliament on the vast energy projects in the country through the Parliamentary Committee 91 on Energy, focussing on the Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power project and the Rural Solar Light Electrification Project;  The Ministry of Finance ensures that this Ministry of Energy accesses additional funds for the extension of their operations in the newly created Falaba and Karene administrative districts headquarter towns in the North- West Region;  The Parliamentary Committees on Energy and Finance demands the annual reports from the Ministry of Energy on the 2016-2019 generation and distribution operations of both EDSA and EGTC and income accrued and tabled in Parliament.
107-44: PROVINCIAL SECRETARY’S OFFICE, MAKENI Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Provincial Secretary’s Office in Makeni was allocated a budget of Le2,644,244,300 by the Ministry of Finance in 2018, but received Le1,934,000,000 below its original budget.

During scrutiny, the Committee observed that the amount received was expended on local travels, vehicle maintenance, fuel, running costs of the office generator, general supplies and administrative costs.
The Committee was also concerned about how this Office has been handling its financial records, stating that most of the supporting documents requested by the Committee were not produced for verification.

For 2019 FY, the Provincial Secretary’s Office made a budget submission of Le3,154,600,000, but was allocated the sum of Le3,183,919,600.

This indicated an increase in the budget allocation for this Office when compared to last year’s allocation.
Thus, the Committee viewed this allocation as adequate and urged the Office to improve on its financial records management.

The Committee however was dissatisfied with the payment for services rendered to the Office, especially for goods provided and travelling costs not properly accounted for.

Hence, the Committee advised the Provincial Secretary to put in place serious monitoring mechanisms for proper financial documentation.
92 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee questioned the Provincial Secretary with regards the North/West Region, which is a newly created Region in the country.

In response, the Provincial Secretary said that since financial resources had been allocated to the said Region, ‘it is high time the administrators took up the challenge and put structures in place.’ Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, in that regard, the Committee recommends that the 2019 allocation for this Office be approved.
408-00: MINISTRY OF WORKS HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Infrastructure has the mandate to formulate policies and programmes for the systematic development of the country in respect of roads, housing and other public works.

In 2018, the Ministry received the following from the Ministry of Finance.
Table 10: Amounts Received from the Ministry of Finance Description Recurrent Development Total Amount 13,539,386,400 439,500,000,000 453,039,396,400 Responding to some of the expenditure patterns of the Ministry, the Vote Controller highlighted the following: Table 11: Expenditure Pattern Proportion Head Description Amount 4080001 Policy Administration and Monitoring 7,679,070,490 4080101 Architectural Services Division 4,576,423,479 93 4080301 Mechanical Division and Vehicle Monitoring 1,433,690,176 4080401 Housing Rent Payments for government 1,555,558,282 rented buildings 4080501 Project Implementation and Monitoring 63,398,550 Total 15,308,140,980 In relation to reactions to the expenditure patterns, the Committee queried the following: That the Committee could not fully comprehend why the Housing Division paid rents for the following;   Edward Stronge Building, housing the Ministry of Energy amounted to Le537,442,500 from their allocation; and Rehabilitation on government buildings caused serious concerns, as government was using huge moneys to repair those structures e.g.
Table 12: Expenditure on Repairs Project rehabilitation Project total Cost description Cost Paid Balance [Le] Freetown Law Courts Building 2,744,779,200 1,314,188,164 1,430,591,036 Parliament Building, Tower Hill 837,475,001 503,165,658 334,309,943 Presidential Lounge Lungi 850,000,000 40 government Quarters, 800,000,000 00 00 Freetown 850,000,000 800,000,000 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, looking at this astronomical rehabilitation cost every year means there has to be a mental reorientation on how we use Government 94 properties and the Ministry has to put stringent measures and policies in place to guide the usage of a number of unnecessary budgets spending, which were noticed to have been subsumed under ‘Office and General.’ The Committee regarded that as a ‘ploy’ as most items expended on were not clearly disclosed.
In terms of revenue, the Ministry accrued the following: Table 13: Revenue accrued by Ministry of Works Housing and Infrastructure [MWHI] in the 2018 FY, January- 30th September 2018 Sources 2018 Registration of Contractors 310,600,000 Building Permits Carpentry Workshops Mechanical Workshops Quarry License Ware House Lease Rent Youyi Building Canteen Petroleum Storage 230,402,500 16,265,000 11,643,000 41,200,000 190,000 0 450,000 Grand Total 800,560,500 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, from the above table, the expressed concern was if the monies were deposited into the Consolidated Revenue Fund [CRF] for there was no evidence of payments.
The non-presentation of revenue collected from the Government Housing Estates and their status updates, urged the Committee to recommend the Parliamentary Committees on Works Housing and Infrastructure, Transparency and Accountability to look into the activities of the Ministry relating to projects and contracts and their value for money.
95 In 2019, the Ministry of Works Housing and Public Assets made a submission for Le18,209,100,000 and Le229,312,800,000 for both recurrent and development respectively but the Ministry of Finance allocated Le12,000,580,300 as recurrent for the road infrastructural capital projects undertaken by the Sierra Leone Roads Authority [SLRA].
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee recommends that the Ministry of Finance provide supplementary budgetary provisions for the Ministry to complete most of the on-going projects.

701-01: LOCAL COUNCILS – PORT LOKO, KAMBIA, TONKOLILI AND FALABA DISTRICTS COUNCILS Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Local Councils in Sierra Leone were established by the Local Government Act of 2004.
The aim of resuscitating the local governance structure, after the civil war, was to enhance durable peace, responsive local development and the core tenets of democracy, which encompasses transparency, accountability, inclusive participation and the rule of law.
In consequence, therefore, Part V of the Local Government Act of 2004 clearly states that “Local Councils shall have Legislative and Executive powers to be exercised in accordance with the Local Government Act and shall be responsible generally for promoting the development of the locality and welfare of the people with the resources at its disposal, and with such resources and the capacity it can mobilise from the central Government and its agencies, national and international non-governmental organisations and the private sector.” The following Councils were assigned to this Committee for scrutiny: Port Loko, Kambia, Tonkolili and Falaba districts Councils.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the table below contains information on the various District Councils interviewed by this Committee, capturing both the actual budgetary allocation received in 2018 FY, as well as their 2019 budgetary allocations.
96 Table 14 [a]: Amount Received from the Ministry of Finance and Revenue Collected in 2018 in Leones Council Amount Received Revenue Target Revenue Collected 1 Port Loko 2,420,467,792.00 1,182,605,111.00 884,146,536.00 2 Kambia 1,457,345,018.00 951,129,524.00 329,013,667.00 3 Tonkolili 2,854,688,270.00 1,645,289,720.00 417,120,082.00 4 Falaba 1,200,107,436.00 320,750,000.00 17,989,241.00 Table 14 [b]: 2019 Budgetary Allocation and Revenue Targets for 2019 Council Allocation [Le] Revenue Target Le 1 Port Loko 7,357,628,624.00 1,670,425,000.00 2 Kambia 6,465,202,914.00 965,249,542.00 3 Tonkolili 8,655,514,585.00 2,020,955,000.00 4 Falaba 3,537,042,737.00 633,027,600.00 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee further noted from the review of filled questionnaire that apart from the regular budgetary allocation received from Government of Sierra Leone in 2018, Port Loko District Council also received donor fund to the tune of Euro 287,113.20 from the European Union.
Asked to explain how the fund was utilised, the CA stated that the money was used to complete the construction of the District Education and Social Welfare Offices, in-service training for nurses, procurement of fuel and lubricant for Lungi Government Hospital.

The Committee demanded the production of Valuation Report as evidence of work done on the said project and it was submitted to the Committee for perusal.
The Committee also 97 observed that Council received the sum of Le2,798,177,791 as grant for Decentralised Service Delivery Programme and Reproductive Child Health Programme.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, as the Table indicated above, Kambia District Council received Le1,457,345,018.00 in 2018 as regular budgetary allocation from the Government of Sierra Leone.
Additionally, the Council received Le79,765,000 as donor fund from UNDP, which according to the CA, was utilised on the rehabilitation of six water points in various communities within the district.

The CA also spoke about the introduction of property valuation system, known as the Cadastre System which he said had been a major source of revenue, but compliance, he noted, was very low in those communities.
Notwithstanding that, Kambia District Council projected a revenue target of Le965,249,542.00 for 2019 FY.

The Committee held the view that if that target is achieved, it would add to Council’s allocation for 2019 FY.

The Committee engaged Council on its relationship with the devolved sectors, stating that devolved activities are expected to be monitored by Council, noting the conspicuous absence of sector heads and other officials.
The Committee warned the CA to ensure that those officials appear before any Committee when the need arose.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee also observed from the review of the filled questionnaire that Tonkolili District Council received Le2,854,688,270, including own source revenue.
According to the CA, a chunk of the revenue collected during the period under review was used to pay salaries to junior staff; vis-à-vis, drivers, cleaners and revenue collectors, donations to vulnerable groups, provide office consumables, improve infrastructure of Council and devolved sectors, etc.

The CA added that the junior workers were not on government payroll.
He further disclosed that each junior staff received a monthly salary of Le400,000 which the Committee noted was below the minimum wage of Le500,000.

The Committee advised Management to either change the nomenclature from ‘salaries’ to ‘stipends’ or refund the difference.

The Committee counselled Management to always comply with government regulations.

98 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, Falaba District Council is one of the newly constituted districts in the Northern part of Sierra Leone.
For 2018 FY, this district received Le1,762,246,677.00, including own source revenue as indicated in Table 9[a] above.

The CA stated that Falaba District Council was yet to benefit from donor funds, but expressed optimism in the coming years.
Asked to explain how the money was utilised, the CA disclosed that over one billion Leones was expended on the procurement of:  Stationery for administration and devolved sectors operations;  Office equipment and furniture for administration and devolved sectors;  Six office generators for Councils and sectors; and  Maintenance of 96.4 km feeder roads within the district.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Committee took special time, interrogating Managements of the four different Councils assigned to it on revenue maximisation, after observing staggering figures far below their revenue targets for 2018.
The Committee learnt, after series of discussions, that revenue collection could be maximised through:  The establishment of a comprehensive Revenue Data Base across the country;  Recruitment of more revenue collectors at chiefdoms levels;  Enforcement of the laws on revenue collection;  Penalty levies;  Increase community sensitisation; and  Review of the Local Government Act.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, however, further deliberations with officials of these Councils under consideration in relation to their abysmal performance in revenue generation drive revealed that low compliance of tax payers, inadequate revenue collectors and clerks, inability to collect property rate due to the huge financial resources required to set up and manage a Cadastre System, lack of comprehensive revenue database to determine revenue generation potentials and collection 99 procedures, and the protracted conflicts over the ownership of revenue sources between Councils and Chiefdom Administrations were some of the problems affecting those Councils’ ability to collect more revenue than required.
The Committee advised Managements to swiftly develop community engagement models which could help to yield some fruits in terms of tax compliance.

In this regard, the CA in Port Loko District Council mentioned that the Airports Authority had evaded tax over years, but in 2018, the Authority had started meeting its full tax obligation due to a court action brought against its Management.
The Committee called on all and sundry to look for more innovative options that could increase Councils’ revenue collection process.

What also came out clearly during the Committee’s engagement with the four Local Councils was their expenditure matrix, noting from the review of the filled questionnaire that huge sums of moneys were spent on rent, maintenance and repairs, office and general, office equipment, fuel and lubricant, fire prevention, etc.
The Committee unequivocally condemned the way moneys were expended on ‘office and general,’ pointing out that expending on ‘office and general’ and at the same time procuring office equipment, computers and printers from different budget heads was described as ‘duplicative expenditure,’ which if continued, would lead to nugatory expenditure and waste of government’s funds.
Discussing the relationship between Councils and Fire Force Authority, after noticing huge amounts being expended on fire prevention in the four districts, the Committee was made to understand that the services of Fire Force Authority had been devolved to Councils and that fire force services were being utilised.

A Member of this Committee rebuffed and challenged the CAs’ claim, stating that she was not convinced with the amount of moneys claimed to have been expended on fire prevention sensitisation.
The Honourable Member cited Tonkolili and Port Loko districts, where she said, had been very difficult to see a Fire Force vehicle around the districts.

The CA in Port Loko District informed the Committee that there was no designated Fire Force Officer in the District.

He disclosed that the district had been facing frequent fire accidents and that it needed designated Fire Force Officer.
100 Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, having critically examined the concerns expressed by the Management teams of the aforementioned Local Councils, the Committee recommends that:  Councils strengthen their community engagement models and property valuation systems in order to maximise revenue generation;  The Ministry of Local Government and the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government should work towards determining and improving the various revenue collection responsibilities;  The Ministry of Local Government, the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government and Local Government Service Commission should work towards overhauling the present transfer policy of Local Councils staff;  The Parliamentary Committees on Local Government and Finance should look into the expenditure matrix of donor funds and revenue collected in 2018 FY;  The Ministry should collaborate closely with all Councils across the country in the area of revenue, especially in resolving the issues around revenue sharing with the various chiefdoms;  The Parliamentary Committees on Finance and Transparency probe into the expenditure patterns of Councils’ devolved sectors; and  The budgetary allocations to the various Councils under the purview of this Sub-Committee be approved, whilst considering a supplementary budget for Falaba District Council, which is one of the newly created districts in the country.
Conclusion Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I want to take this opportunity to express sincere thanks and appreciation to Members of Sub-Committee 3 for their cooperation and teamwork as they critically scrutinised the budgets of MDAs under their purview.

The Committee’s thanks and appreciation goes to Moriba Songa, Musa L. A. Foullah, Rita 101 Sesay, Samuel Abass Koroma, Mohamed Kargbo, Sulaiman Bah and all those who provided technical support to it.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, on behalf of this Committee, I move that the Vote Heads and Sub-Heads of MDAs, including allocations to the Local Councils scrutinised by this Committee as indicated in the table below stand part of the Schedule and that the recommendations contained therein be approved with the exception of budget head 409-04: Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Company.

I thank you very much [Applause].


THE CHAIRMAN: Honourable Members, I thank the Chairman for sub-Committee 3 for his presentation of the Report.

The proceedings are now open to other Members to make their contributions on the Minister’s proposals, taking into account the representations in the Sub-Committees Report.

Yes Honourable Madam Zainab Catherine Tarawally.

HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Thank you very much Mr Chairman.
Mr Chairman, I want to thank my Chairman because I was part and parcel of Committee 3.

Being an active Member of Committee 3, most of the recommendations and conclusions came from us the active Members.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, we made recommendations and conclusions into the problem of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation appeared before Committee 3 without their revenue generation.
In our Report, we made it clear that the Ministry of Health and Sanitation is one Ministry that is generating money through their various hospitals, for instance; the Connaught hospital, the Ola During hospital in Freetown, the regional hospital in Makeni etc.
Even though most of the clinics are devolved to some Local Councils, but for the secondary hospitals, they should have come with what we call genuine generation or income book for us to see what they have generated and what they have sent to the consolidated fund.

That is the reason we as a Committee we are asking the Committee on Finance to probe into the issue of revenue generation of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
When you go to Page 10, we said the bank statement and expenditure breakdown 102 reconciliation in the amount of Le11,303,000,000mln being part of the amount not expended for 2018 FY was not made available and no document was presented to us.

They cannot account for the money and it is a huge sum; a Billion is not a small amount taken from our people and even if it is from donors, it is still money that is coming for the people of Sierra Leone.
Therefore, it should be accounted for by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation because it is Government and the people’s money.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the next one we are worried about is the Children’s Commission.

Mr Chairman, it so worrisome that a Board-chair doubles as an employee.
What I meant was, nine Board Members are receiving salaries from this Commission and it is so appalling, each one goes with Le30mln as monthly take home [Undertones] yes, and at the end of the day our children are out there suffering in the street, the ghettos and they are dying whilst the Boards are enjoying the children’s money.
I am not happy and I am calling on this House through your wonderful work and we know you are capable because you are a hardworking man and we want you to look into this particular issue.

How can a Board Member take home Le30mln monthly?

What is the position of our children in Sierra Leone?

The worst thing is that this Commission is not seen in the regions.

Being the Deputy Chairperson for the Human Right Committee, we have a case that will come to this House when we are laying our Report.
When you go to the juvenile homes especially in Bo, the children are suffering, they are under a dark lock and key, no beddings and the Boards Members are taking of Le30mln each as their monthly salaries.

We as a Committee and as an active Member of this House, we want this House to look into this particular Commission Act, to look into what the Board Members are taking home and for the children to enjoy their own benefits.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I want this House to look into the issue of Fire Force [Interruption].

THE CHAIRMAN: Before you go to the Fire Force, I do not frankly think we should wait that long.

You have pointed out a very serious matter and I will want us to refer your quarries to the Oversight Committee to take prompt action on the issue.

103 HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Thank you very much Mr Chairman.

THE CHAIRMAN: What is the relevant Oversight Committee?

HON.
HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Social Services Sir.

THE CHAIRMAN: Please let the Clerks take note that we want very prompt action to be taken by the Oversight Committee by summoning the Chairperson of the Children’s Commission to come and explain.

You may proceed.

HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Thank you very much Mr Chairman.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Fire Force is a very important department in the MDAs that are working in this country, but we find out that they have one hundred [100] staff that have been working for the past eleven [11] months without salaries and we are kindly asking the Ministry of Finance to look into the problems of those staff.

The Fire Force also has a huge chunk amount of backlogs that they have to pay their contractors.
THE CHAIRMAN: Honourable Member, the one hundred personnel you are referring to, do they have pin codes?

HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: No Sir.

The problem was with the Human Resource Management Office [HRMO] and the HRMO should send in their letters to the Ministry of Finance to ascertain that those people are now part of the system and they should start receiving their salaries, but for the past eleven months nothing was received.
According to the Chief Fire Officer, he said, “I have been running behind the HRMO, but no avail.

The people are still working and most of them are in the remote areas without any honorary.’’ THE CHAIRMAN: So, what specific recommendation would you like us to make?

HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: We are asking the Ministry of Finance to fast tract their business so that they can be part of the system and get their backlogs as well.

THE CHAIRMAN: I am sure.

Yes HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: Thank you very much.


I believe the Honourable Member for Bombali was part of Committee 3 and their Report has been read in the 104 Well.

All of those should have be constituted as part of their recommendations to the House.

Thank you.

THE CHAIRMAN: Maybe is the manner in which the Report has been crafted because this ought to have been a pointed recommendation in the Report so that in totality we would be able to consider it alongside the other recommendations.
But since it was not done maybe through some poor crafting of the Report, with respect I see no reason why we cannot in the Well of the House bring this forward HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Yes Mr Chairman.

I want to believe that it is captured in the Report.

If you can allow me to read it THE CHAIRMAN: Okay, refer us to the Page.

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Page 13 under the Committee recommendations; the last one.

THE CHAIRMAN: Will you read it out please?

HON.


MOSES B. JORKIE: The authorities’ 2019 allocation be approved while considering supplementary Budget to enable it pays the backlogs salaries of one hundred fire fighters who have already been trained and to further recruits more fire fighter for the regional offices.

THE CHAIRMAN: Fine.

Honourable Member, does that satisfy you?

HON.


ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Yes it is there, but I just want to re-echo that Mr Chairman [Undertone] I have the right to re-echo it for prominence and for the relevant Committees to take action.

So I want to say a very big thank you Mr Chairman and my Chairman for the presentation.

Thank you [Applause].

THE CHAIRMAN: Thank you.
HON HASSAN A. SESAY: Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, in relation to the National Commission for Children’s Budget, the recommendation made by the Chairman on Page 24, with your leave Mr Chairman it says, “The Committee recommends that the 2019 Budget as stated be approved while considering a 105 supplementary Budget provision to enhance the establishment of original offices and the recruitment of additional staff.” Now, Mr Chairman, if we are listening to what a Member of the Committee was saying here regarding the money’s taking home and we are frowning at, how do we approve and even recommend for a Supplementary Budget to this same Institution which have questionable finances?
I cannot see how Board Members can take home Le30mln per person and then you recommend more money for them and to come with Supplementary Budget.

Mr Chairman, I think I have a reservation in that area because you are requested to summon them in meeting.
Now, if that is the case, I do not see why we must recommend an approval of this Budget before they come here to defend what they have spent already [Undertone] Mr Leader of Government Business, I think we will end up approving it and give it to them, but let them come and justify why members would take home Le30mln.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: Mr Chairman, THE CHAIRMAN: I think you have raised a point.

Let me allow the Chairman of the Committee to respond.

HON.
HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: Mr Chairman, it happens that normally when these MDAs are coming to these Committees, they bring all their documents which may include salaries of other officials for instance, but the key thing that is before the Committees was the allocations of funds.

So, I want to suggest that we approved the Budget of the various vote heads as listed, then the relevant Committee will look at those issues specifically to see if they are in line or not.

The Budget is time bound.


Acting Leader of the Opposition, you would have the opportunity to please look at them very well.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: I quite agree that we would have the opportunity to look at them, but we are not talking about the one that is coming.

We are talking about what they have done is what we are looking into to make sure that moving forward we must have corrected that anomaly if it is an anomaly or let them justify why that money was 106 spent that way.
I think that is the essence of why we make allocation because [Undertone] I still have the Floor [Undertone] when I am done.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: Mr Leader, you always have an opportunity to look at them and what they have expended, but the Budget is time bound and those allocations made for example [Undertone] we are not talking about salaries of Members of the Board, that is what you want to enquire into, but we agreed, you have an opportunity to look at them separately from the allocation please.
HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Yes, I agree with you partially, but my issue here is the money’s that the Honourable Member clearly pointed at is a call for concern [Interruption].

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: In fact Mr Chairman, I would want to indict.

He has been the Chairman of that Committee.


So meaning, he has not been doing his job [Laughter] because all this while he should have known that there are things going on in that Committee that are not proper, so let us go ahead with the Budget process and he will have the opportunity to look into those matters.

Thank you Sir.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Now it is an indictment [Laughter].

HON.

ABDUL T. KAMARA: Mr Chairman, THE CHAIRMAN: No!

Take your seat.
Take your seat.

Still the point has not been adequately answered.

HON.

ABDUL T. KAMARA: Can I come in?

THE CHAIRMAN: Who?

HON.

ABDUL T. KAMARA: I am the Deputy Chairman Sir.

THE CHAIRMAN: Okay.

I will let you come in, but let me listen to the Chairman first.

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: Thank you very much Mr Chairman.

I hope my colleague on the other side is trying to argue why we are asking for additional supplementary Budget.
If you listen to the reading and the recommendations given by this Committee it is so simple.

These people are only based in Freetown and all the regional offices like 107 Bo, Kenema and Makeni etc.

are all left out and as a result of that they want to extend their tentacles so that their presence can be felt in those places and this is why we are asking for the Budget to be increased.
Coming to the amount or the honorary the Board members are receiving, the Honourable Member is asking that we bring forward the Bill or the Act to be amended so that the kind of money these people are taking home would be looked into and if you look at the last recommendation, there is a particular section in the Act that allows members of the Board to receive salaries and at the same time sitting fees be amended in accordance with the other Acts, the thing is very clear Honourable Member and I do not think you should be labour on this.
Thank you Mr Chairman.

THE CHAIRMAN: Let me hear you.

I know you want the Floor.

HON.

ABDUL T. KAMARA: Mr Chairman, the Honourable Member is missing the point.

We are talking of [Interruption].

THE CHAIRMAN: Which Honourable Member?

HON.

ABDUL T. KAMARA: The Acting Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable Hassan A. Sesay.
We are not talking of this amount and we are not considering the staff members because they are been paid, but we are talking of the Board Members that are receiving a trunk of the Budget and within a few month, you see them recovering a whole lot, but you are talking of staff members, the Commission is only based in Freetown with ten staff and it has no branches in the other areas for example; Makeni, Bo and Kenema etc.

HON.
HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Mr Chairman, the Honourable Member is missing the point because the Honourable Member was pointing at money’s the Board Members are taking home and that is exactly what I was trying to address.

If the Boards and all of these areas are now tap, the Chairman was not telling us here that there are no offices in the provinces, but the Commissioners in Freetown are taking Le30mln per person and that is what I am saying.
If they do not have their presence in the provinces for these children for whom these Institutions have been created, then what is the point?

108 Are we creating an Institutions for this Board Members to have money’s to eat or we want to impact the direct beneficiaries?

That is what I am trying to establish here.

THE CHAIRMAN: Honourable Members, thank you very much.

I think we can reconcile the different points of views here.
What is being requested here as supplementary Budget should be targeted at ensuring that the work of this entity is extended to the provinces that is basically what is intended here, but this is not to say that we should overlook the fact that Members of the Board are taking disproportionate amount of money under the 2018 Budget and this needs to be thoroughly examined by the Oversights Committee.

So, this I think should be the compromise.


We are not objecting therefore to the additional budgetary or supplementary allocation provided it is used to extend their services to places outside of Freetown, but this should not stop the Oversight Committee primordial function to probe into why Members of this Board are taking home a disproportionate amount of money under the 2018 Budget.

Are we agreed on that [Undertone] if that is the case please let it be so recorded by the Clerks.

HON.
HON.

BRIMA MANSARAY: Mr Chairman Sir, THE CHAIRMAN: On what I have said?

HON.

BRIMA MANSARAY: On what Honourable Zainab Catherine Tarawally said about the Le30mln.

The Commissioner told us that it was the payment of backlogs.

THE CHAIRMAN: Backlogs?

HON.


BRIMA MANSARAY: Yes, that they own the Commissioners’ a backlog of three or four months and that money accumulated to Le30mln for each person and allowances was about Le3mln to Le4mln, that chunk payment was backlogs of three to four months which they own the Commissioners [Undertone] it was not Le30mln salary per month [Undertone] I am a Member of that Committee, I was there when the Commissioner explained.
THE CHAIRMAN: I thank all Honourable Members for your statement on this issue.

I think the very fact that you have come here and disagreed among yourselves, reinforces the need for the Oversight Committee to probe into this.

So let it be so 109 recorded.

Let us proceed.

Honourable Zainab Catherine Tarawally, are you through with your contribution?

HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Yes Sir.

I am through Mr Chairman.


I just want to reaffirm in this House that I will bring the copy of the documents to the Chairman for him to ascertain what I have said here in this Well that it is salary of Le30mln times nine [9] that is LE270mln.

THE CHAIRMAN: I want you to direct your pursue on this point vigorously through the Oversight Committee.

HON.

ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: Thank you Mr Chairman [Applause].

THE CHAIRMAN: There is no other contribution?

Yes.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Do not worry my Leader.


Thank you very much Mr Chairman.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the discussions so far raised the need for salary harmonisation for the payroll to be with the Transparency Committee and for Parliament to scrutinize its profile before the information of the Commission on the Wage Bill.

Mr Chairman, there is indeed the need for certain expenditure within the Budget lines to be harmonised; office and general, stationary, computer running cost, imprest etc.
To me, these are all in Budget lines connoting the same.

If you asked MDAs what do you mean by office and general, outline the expenditures that are under office and general, they will go back to stationary.

Outline the expenditures that are under stationary, they will go back to office and general.

So indeed, I want to support the Committee in making sure that these particular expenditures are been harmonised.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, in the Budget, annex 6 Page No.
38, recruitment of two hundred and five fire fighters.

Now, we are having issues of the one hundred fire fighters that are been employed by fire force without been paid for eleven months.

Mr Chairman, is there another need for any further recruitment?

That is the question for the Minister of Finance and we want that answer.
If we are saying we want to recruit two hundred and five fire fighters, now we are having one hundred already in existence 110 that are not getting the required conditions of service, do we really need to employ?

Another one is [Interruption].

THE CHAIRMAN: Hold on.

I presumed the new ones to be recruited would be recruited on the understanding that they will receive pin codes automatically.
The ones who have been recruited, but without pin cords, I hope will now be considered for pin codes if there are services are to be retained by the fire force otherwise you have a point, what is the point of recruiting more when you are unable to pay the existing ones [Applause].

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Thank you Mr Chairman.

We have the Finance Minister here and I think she can help in answering that question.
Why do we need to recruit more when already we have those in existence that are not having the necessary opportunities and facilities?

THE CHAIRMAN: No.

I would rather rephrase your question.

Granted that we have one hundred fire force workers who are already in position, but without pin codes and we hope whilst considering employing new ones that the existing ones receive the pin codes so that they are put on the same level [Applause].

HON.
HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Before I agree with you Mr Chairman, I want to ask a question, why do we want to recruit more, is it that we want to employ people to create employment for those we have promised?

THE CHAIRMAN: No!

I cannot answer that, let the Minister look at that [Laughter].

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: We already have those in existence, let them be hired and [Interruption] THE CHAIRMAN: Your point is well taken and I am sure the Minister is taking note.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Thank you very much.


The Chairman is out Sir.

THE CHAIRMAN: Go ahead, was there not a Deputy?

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: The Chairman of the Committee stated in their Report that the timely disbursement of funds.

He was praising the Ministry of Finance for the timely 111 disbursement of funds.

To me, I do not think that is the case, I am a Chairman that needs to be strongly recommended in this House.
All MDAs that faced my Committee were not getting their allocations on time and it is very important and what happens Mr Chairman, those particular MDAs accumulated huge arrears to the point of spinning that arrears to the next accounting period and that is why I want to question the Ministry of Finance, whether the cash based system they were using is actually correct because we have the expert here and it is stating that we pay arrears within the accounting period, but if we are having instances because of the delay in disbursement wherein arrears will affect the next accounting period then that system needs to be checked again.
Having said this, I want to say thanks to the Chairman for such a brilliant presentation [Laughter] .

THE CHAIRMAN: You know, you remind me of the old adage, is a legal maxim, “nemo dat quod non habet” ‘you can only give that which you have’ [Laughter] HON.

LAHAI MARAH: I am not denying you Mr Chairman, but let us revisit the system we are using.

We have other system available that will match with our status.
THE CHAIRMAN: Any other contribution [Undertone] No, I see one on my right and also in front of me.

HON.

PETER M. MOIGUA: Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, this is New Direction and in the New Direction this is our first Budget we are debating.

I am not going to counter what my colleague Honourable Member was saying about a system.

In financial management, when you talk about a system, it is also about continuity.
Now, the Budget we are discussing is 2017 and 2018 FY and you are talking about the issues that are not working.

It is not the making of this Government, this is a new Government, this is a system you have been playing with and it is a system you are aware of.

One of my points I will want to make is to justify that the system the past Government were operating was not correct, go back to 2015 and 2016 Audit Report.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, the Report given to us is good, but I want to go to Page 21 of this Report and to make specific issue about the IMC.

When you look at the Public Financial Management [PFM] Act, 2016, it is also good that this House also look at 112 other statutory documents.

That is one document that is there to regulate accountability of how governance works.
The 2016 PFM Act says that “this Parliament has no right to even increase the Budget that is in front of us, but we have right if there are no reasons to reduce if there is any reason for us to reduce.” For the past years 2014 to 2017, the IMC has not or has never given their financial statement for auditing and yet still we are still allocating money to them.
I was not part of this Committee, but I want to urge the Minister of Finance to look at certain MDAs or agencies of this New Direction and the nation, they have never presented financial statement to Auditor General.

Let us make specific attention to this institution.

For IMC, from 2014 up to date [Undertone] yes I have a record about it and I think as Financial manager, I always make research on finances and I always read my PFM Act which you do not [Laughter].
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, another MDAs or Agencies is the Small Arms and since their creation they have never presented their financial statement for Audit.

Madam Minister, I want to call your attention to these MDAs looking at the one in front of me, the IMC, an amount of over 600mln and people do not want to give an account of [Interruption].

THE CHAIRMAN: No!

Honourable Member, let your contribution be restricted to the content of the Report that we are to inspect.

HON.
HON.

PETER M. MOIGUA: This is the content.

Mr Chairman, the Report I have is what I am talking about IMC.

THE CHAIRMAN: No!

Did it deal with Small Arms?

HON.

PETER M. MOIGUA: No!

I am talking about IMC.

THE CHAIRMAN: No, but you also veered on Small Arms.

HON.

PETER M. MOIGUA: Sorry about the Small Arms, I am talking about IMC.
The IMC in front of me, I want to recommend to the Minister of Finance for them to pay attention to this Commission for them to present their financial statement for Auditing 113 this year.

I think with that they will agree with me that we are all going to work with the PFM Act shortly.

Thank you.

THE CHAIRMAN: I am quite sure the Deputy Minister will take special note of that and will respond to you.

There was somebody else wishing to catch my eye or has he given up?
I think you will be last before the Minister responds.

HON.

PETER Y. KOROMA: Thank you Mr Chairman.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I was actually going to make some clarifications based on what the Honourable Member from Falaba opined on the issue of the aim to recruits two hundred Fire Fighters in addition to what is already existing.
What we got as a Member of the Committee was that the force was considering to employ the extra two hundred to satisfy the new locations they are making their presence felt and if there is a budgetary allocations already for more fire houses to be built in different locations in the country then of course there will be the need to staff them.
That notwithstanding, the Committee did take the issue of ensuring that the one hundred Fire Fighters that have already been enlisted be properly enumerated and properly enlisted.

So, the clarification is that the justification for the two hundred is because new fire outlets have been opened.

Thank you Mr Chairman.

THE CHAIRMAN: In other words those that are already in service should be properly pin coded.

HON.

PETER Y. KOROMA: Sure.


In addition to staffing the new fire houses that have been built around the country.

THE CHAIRMAN: Fine.

So with that now Madam Minister, are you in the position to respond to the various comments and questions raised?

PATRICIA N. LAVERLEY: Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I take note on behalf of the Ministry of Finance.
With respect to the SLPMC we would seek clarification from the Managing Director on their participation in the Committee hearings and the figures that we have included in the Budget profile to make a determination jointly with Parliament on the course of action and we would come back to this noble House with a 114 position from finance on the SLPMC.
With respect to the National Children Commission, we also do take note on the salaries been paid, the sitting fees been paid by both Members and the non-presence of the National Children’s Commission in the regional offices.
Yes, the Ministry of Finance has developed a term of references for the new Wages and Salary Commission, a Committee has been established and plans are on- going on the salary harmonisation and conditions of service to a central review of the entire compensation framework within the entire Public Service.

With respect to the duplication of expenditure categories in the Budget for example the nomenclature used for stationary and office and general.
These are based on submission that we get from the different MDAs and we take note of the duplication and the Ministry of Finance would look into instances were perceived duplications have been made.
For the Fire Force recruitment, the steps are as follows: What we understand at the Ministry of Finance is that the newly recruited Fire Fighters have undergone training, what we need is that HRMO needs to write to the Ministry of Finance to seek clearance from the Ministry of Finance on the financial implications with respect to the recruitment of the one hundred Fire Fighters.
Thereafter, Ministry of Finance will provide clearance to HRMO to proceed with the recruitment, the Fire Fighters have only undergone training and the pin codes are yet to be issued.

HRMO is yet to issues the pin codes; it only after pin codes are issued then the Accountant Generals Department would then upload their pin codes into the system to process their salaries.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, so, there are several stages along the way and National Civil Registration Authority [NCRA] is obviously working on the issue of pin codes in collaboration with us at the Ministry of Finance and so on and this is something that would take up at the Ministry with HRMO to ensure the one hundred Fire Fighters do get paid.
Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, may I now move that the vote as earlier indicated do stand as part of this schedule except for the SLPMC where clarification 115 is still needed by the Managing Director with respect to the inclusion in the Budget for FY 2019.
[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed To] [The following vote heads as pronounced by the Minister formed part of the schedule same for vote 409-04] [The House resumes] THE SPEAKER: I think we can applaud ourselves that we have worked up to this point today.

Madam Minister, you may take leave of us.

Do not go too far away, you and I have [Laughter] S.O 23, I have no doubt.

Honourable Sorieba, I will only entertain you.


Yes Honourable Tamemkoh, you have the Floor [Undertone] okay you were advocating for him [Laughter].

HON.

HASSAN SANKOH: I have an advocator here [Laughter] I tell him thanks for the job.

I am Honourable Hassan Sankoh of constituency 49 [Undertone] do you want me to speak French?

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, my constituents in Ward 41, 167 and 168 I have a serious problem.
There is an action taken by the Government recently and this action has led to problems in my constituency that is to say, the removal or suspension of the Regent Chiefs in the three [3] Chiefdoms that is constituencies 166, 167 and 168.

The Regent Chief was appointed by this Government and he sacked five Section chiefs and this has caused the problem which I earlier mentioned.
I saw these people yesterday and they told me that I should present their case to this House because they are not enjoying their liberty according to them [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, HON.

HASSAN SANKOH: Yes Sir.

THE SPEAKER: Let me share with you my own personal experience in matters of this kind.
Every Chiefdom has a cabinet I do not know whether you aware of that and you are a Member of that cabinet, the Chiefdom Council, when things like this happen try to 116 invoke the Chiefdom Council first, if you get no respite then you can bring that matter to our attention, but your first call should be the Chiefdom Council especially when the matters in question are local matters, they are in a better position to address such matter than Parliament.
As I said, it is only when you fail to get the required remedy that you may feel compelled to bring such matters to the attention of the House.

Did you try that?

HON.

HASSAN SANKOH: I spoke to the District Officer of my ward to investigate what is the matter and then he said to me ‘I will do it and I am going to do it’ until these people make a review on the Chieftaincy.
It has worried them that they have done a piece of job and they have taken them out of the process of selecting the Chiefs and that is why they are here and the District Officer has not come back to me until this time, that is why these people also are here for me to speak for them so that we can help them, it has been done through the District Officer.

THE SPEAKER: I will try to be of help to you.


Let us not pursue this matter, would you please see me tomorrow morning on this issue in my Chambers along with your Chiefs so that I can get a better understanding of the issues to see if I can take them up directly with the Minister of Local Government.

On that, I will allow you to bring it to the attention of the House.

HON.

HASSAN SANKOH: I thank you Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: So see me tomorrow around 9:00a.m I will be available.

Any other S.O 23?
Any other S.O 23?

I see none [Undertone] S.O 23?

Please make it short and succinct.

HON.

OSMAN C. ABDULAI: Thank you Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, on the 24th November, 2018, I had a community engagement with my constituents and after series of deliberations, we came to the conclusion that the free education is actually a welcoming news for them, but one thing they observed which to them would undermine the quality of the free education is the non-conduction of extra classes by teachers especially for external exams and they are also asking the Government through the Ministry of Education to support teachers in order to provide 117 extra classes to external pupils so that they can cope with the trend of the external exams.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I have a Mining Company in my constituency and of course I was about to bring this to the notice of this House what actually entails, how our people are looking at the Mining Companies especially the one in my constituency and now I have the opportunity to say this here.

With your leave Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the constituents are looking to us as Members of Parliament to take a lead to face the companies to perform their cooperate responsibilities.
That was why when Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma was presenting this morning, I was expecting him to have said maybe a robust and a quick review of the mining policies Act or Agreements.

In those Agreements, there are no provisions for Members of Parliament taking the lead in companies operating in their constituencies, but our people look to us as a lead agent or agency.
So therefore, I want to recommend to the Committee on Mines and Minerals Resources to hastily recommend to the executives or all institutions and MDAs that have bearings with the mining industry so that we can look at those recommendations and policies or Act in the mining sector, otherwise some of us will be voted out [Laughter] yes, because our people are looking up to us as Members of Parliament to advocate on their behalf to these companies which of course we have no bearings with regards to the agreements [Applause].
THE SPEAKER: Is it not too early for you to be afraid [Laughter]?

HON.

OSMAN C. ABDULAI: No Mr Speaker.

When you hear of a snake, you look around you Mr Speaker [Laughter].

So as Member of Parliament and associate Member of the Mining Committee, I will suggest to this House that we hastily urge the NMAs, the Ministry and all sectors associated with mining industries so that we look at those policies or Act and Agreement because we are seeing it as archaic.
So therefore, I will rest my case to urge the Committee on Mines and Minerals Resources to take this forward in this House and to the Ministry of Mines.

I thank you very much Mr Speaker and Honourable Members.

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member.

118 ANNOUNCEMENT THE SPEAKER: Tomorrow we hope to take up three [3] Sub-Committee Reports, starting with one, two and any other that becomes available.

So check your pigeon holes please for the latest Report that has been published.
ADJOURNMENT [The House rose at 5:10 p.m. and was adjourned to Wednesday, 5th December, 2018 at 10:00 am.]

119